[1] “Certainly there is a mine for silver And a place for refining gold. [2] “Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. [3] “Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. [4] “He sinks a shaft away from inhabited areas, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing, away from people. [5] “From the earth comes food, And underneath, it is turned over like fire. [6] “Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. [7] “No bird of prey knows the path, Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it. [8] “The proud animals have not trodden it, Nor has the lion passed over it. [9] “He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. [10] “He carves out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. [11] “He dams up the streams from flowing, And brings to light what is hidden. [12] “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? [13] “Mankind does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. [14] “The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ [15] “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. [16] “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. [17] “Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold. [18] “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is more valuable than pearls. [19] “The topaz of Cush cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. [20] “Where then does wisdom come from? And where is this place of understanding? [21] “It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature, And concealed from the birds of the sky. [22] “Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ [23] “God understands its way, And He knows its place. [24] “For He looks to the ends of the earth; He sees everything under the heavens. [25] “When He imparted weight to the wind, And assessed the waters by measure, [26] When He made a limit for the rain, And a course for the thunderbolt, [27] Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. [28] “And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
