1"Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place where they refine gold.

2Iron is taken out of the earth, and bronze is melted out of the stone.

3Man puts an end to darkness, and to the farthest limits they search out the ore in the darkness of the mine and in the shadow of death.

4He opens a shaft away from where men travel, in places forgotten by men's feet; they hang and swing to and fro far away from men.

5As to the earth, out of it comes bread; but from underneath it is turned up like fire.

6Its stones are the place of sapphires; and it has dust of gold.

7There is a path which no bird knows, nor the vulture's eye has seen it;

8And the proud beasts have not walked on it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

9He puts forth His hand on the flinty places; He overturns the mountains by the roots.

10He cuts out rivers among the rocks; and His eye sees every precious thing.

11He holds back the streams from flowing; and the hidden thing He brings to light.

12But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13Man does not know the price of it; nor is it found in the land of the living.

14The deep says, 'It is not in me;' and the sea says, 'It is not in me. '

15Pure gold cannot be given instead of it, nor silver be weighed as its price.

16It cannot be valued against the gold of Ophir, or against precious onyx, or sapphire;

17Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for the jewels of fine gold.

18No mention shall be made of coral, or of crystal; and the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it; it cannot be valued against pure gold.

20From where then does wisdom come, and where is the place of understanding?

21Yea, it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the heavens.

22Destruction and death say, 'We have heard the fame of it with our ears. '

23God understands the way of it, and He knows its place.

24For He looks to the end of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens;

25He endowed the winds with weight, and gauged the waters by measure.

26When He made a decree for the rain, and a path for the thunderstorm;

27Then He saw it, and declared it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

28And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom! And to depart from evil is understanding!' "