[1] "Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. [2] Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore. [3] Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. [4] He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. [5] As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; [6] Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. [7] That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon's eye seen it. [8] The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. [9] He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. [10] He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. [11] He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light. [12] "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? [13] Man does not know its value, Nor is it 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 purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. [16] It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. [17] Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. [18] No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. [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] Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.' [23] God understands its way, And He knows its place. [24] For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, [25] To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. [26] When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, [27] Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. [28] And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.'"
