1 “ Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined.

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

2 I ron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore.

Iron is taken out of the dust, and bronze is melted out of the stone.

3 M an puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.

He 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 H e breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro.

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

5 A s for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire;

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

6 I ts stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust.

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

7 T hat path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.

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

8 T he proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

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

9 H e puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots.

He put his hand upon the flint and overturned the mountains from the root.

10 H e cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing.

He cut rivers out of the rocks; and his eye saw every precious thing.

11 H e dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.

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

12 “ But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13 M an does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

Man never knew its price; neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 T he deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

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

15 I t cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.

It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for its price.

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

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire.

17 N either gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.

Gold 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 quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies.

No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls; for wisdom is better than precious stones.

19 T he topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

The emerald of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20 “ From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

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

21 I t is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air.

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

22 D estruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’

Hell and death say, We have heard its fame with our ears.

23 G od understands its way, And He knows its place.

God understands its way, and he alone knows its place.

24 F or He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens,

For he looks unto the ends of the earth and sees under the whole heaven,

25 T o establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure.

To make a weight for the wind and to supply water by measure,

26 W hen He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,

when he made a law for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunders.

27 T hen He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.

Then he saw it and counted it; he prepared it and also searched it out.

28 A nd to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

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