1 “ Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.

¶ 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 earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.

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

3 M an sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

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 where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.

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, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

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

6 S apphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.

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

7 T hat path no bird of prey knows, neither 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 animals have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed by there.

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 flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.

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

10 H e cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.

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

11 H e binds the streams that they don’t trickle. The thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

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

12 “ But where shall wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?

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

13 M an doesn’t know its price; Neither 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 isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’

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

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

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

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

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

17 G old and glass can’t equal it, neither shall it be exchanged for jewels 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 of crystal. Yes, 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 shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

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

20 W here then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding?

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

21 S eeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.

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 rumor of it with our ears.’

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

23 “ God 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 sky.

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

25 H e establishes the force of the wind. Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.

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

26 W hen he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder;

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

27 t hen he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.

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

28 T o man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. 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.