1 ¶ Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place for gold where they refine it.

2 I ron is taken out of the dust, and bronze is melted out of the stone.

3 H e set a border unto the darkness, and unto every perfect work that he made, he placed a stone of darkness and shadow of death.

4 T he river breaks forth next to the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot, that were higher than man, are gone away.

5 L and out of which bread comes forth, and underneath it shall be as if it were converted in fire.

6 A place where its stones shall be sapphires; and it shall have dust of gold.

7 A path which no fowl knows and which the vulture’s eye has never seen;

8 t he young of the proud have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by it.

9 H e put his hand upon the flint and overturned the mountains from the root.

10 H e cut rivers out of the rocks; and his eye saw every precious thing.

11 H e detained the rivers in their source and caused that which was hid to be brought to light.

12 B ut where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13 M an never knew its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 ¶ The deep saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me.

15 I t cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for its price.

16 I t cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire.

17 G old cannot equal it, nor can diamond; neither shall it be exchanged for vessels of fine gold.

18 N o mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls; for wisdom is better than precious stones.

19 T he emerald of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20 ¶ Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding?

21 S eeing it is hid from the eyes of all living and kept concealed from every fowl of the heaven.

22 H ell and death say, We have heard its fame with our ears.

23 G od understands its way, and he alone knows its place.

24 F or he looks unto the ends of the earth and sees under the whole heaven,

25 T o make a weight for the wind and to supply water by measure,

26 w hen he made a law for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunders.

27 T hen he saw it and counted it; he prepared it and also searched it out.

28 A nd unto man he said, Behold, that the fear of the Lord, is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.