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

Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;

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

Iron from the dust is taken, And the firm stone brass.

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.

An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.

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.

A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.

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

The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.

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

A place of the sapphire its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

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

A path -- not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,

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

Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.

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

Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.

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

Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.

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

From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out light.

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

And the wisdom -- whence is it found? And where this, the place of understanding?

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

Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor 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.

The deep hath said, `It not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'

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

Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed -- its price.

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

It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,

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

Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor its exchange a vessel of fine gold.

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

Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom above rubies.

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

Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

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

And the wisdom -- whence doth it come? And where this, 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.

It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.

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

Destruction and death have said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'

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

God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.

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

For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

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

To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.

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

In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,

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

Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath 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.

And He saith to man: -- `Lo, fear of the Lord, that wisdom, And to turn from evil understanding.'