| 1 | Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold where they refine it. |
| 2 | Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the stone ore. |
| 3 | Man sets an end to darkness, and he searches out the farthest bounds for the ore buried in gloom and deep darkness. |
| 4 | Men break open shafts away from where people sojourn, in places forgotten by [human] foot; and [descend into them], hanging afar from men, they swing
or
flit to and fro. |
| 5 | As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath [its surface, down deep in the mine] there is
[a]blasting, turning it up as by fire. |
| 6 | Its stones are the bed of sapphires; it holds dust of gold [which he wins]. |
| 7 | That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon’s eye has not seen it. |
| 8 | The proud beasts [and their young] have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed over it. |
| 9 | Man puts forth his hand upon the flinty rock; he overturns the mountains by the roots. |
| 10 | He cuts out channels
and
passages among the rocks; and his eye sees every precious thing. |
| 11 | [Man] binds the streams so that they do not trickle [into the mine], and the thing that is hidden he brings forth to light. |
| 12 | But where shall
[b]Wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? |
| 13 | Man knows not the price of it; neither is it found in the land of the living. |
| 14 | The deep says, [Wisdom] is not in me; and the sea says, It is not with me. |
| 15 | It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price of it. |
| 16 | It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir, in the precious onyx
or
beryl, or the sapphire. |
| 17 | Gold and glass cannot equal [Wisdom], nor can it be exchanged for jewels
or
vessels of fine gold. |
| 18 | No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; for the possession of Wisdom is even above rubies
or
pearls. |
| 19 | The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. |
| 20 | From where then does Wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? |
| 21 | It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and knowledge of it is withheld from the birds of the heavens. |
| 22 | Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say, We have [only] heard the report of it with our ears. |
| 23 | God understands the way [to Wisdom] and He knows the place of it [Wisdom is with God alone]. |
| 24 | For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25 | When He gave to the wind weight
or
pressure and allotted the waters by measure, |
| 26 | When He made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, |
| 27 | Then He saw [Wisdom] and declared it; He established it, yes, and searched it out [for His own use, and He alone possesses it]. |
| 28 | But to man He said, Behold, the reverential
and
worshipful fear of the Lord—that is Wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. |
|