[1] “Surely there is a mine for silver And a place where they refine 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 far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men.
[5] The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire.
[6] Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold.
[7] The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon's eye caught sight of it.
[8] The proud beasts 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 base.
[10] He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious.
[11] He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the 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] 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 fine gold.
[18] Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
[19] The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
[20] Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding?
[21] Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living 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 And sees everything under the heavens.
[25] When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure,
[26] When He set 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 man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”