[1] “Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine.
[2] “Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.
[3] “Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
[4] “He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
[5] “As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
[6] “Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.
[7] “That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.
[8] “The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it.
[9] “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots.
[10] “He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing.
[11] “He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
[12] “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
[13] “Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.
[14] “The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
[15] “It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
[16] “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
[17] “Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
[18] “No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls.
[19] “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal 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 concealed from the birds of the air.
[22] “Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
[23] “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.
[24] “For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
[25] “When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned 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 it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out.
[28] “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”