| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. | 1There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. |
| 2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. | 2Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. |
| 3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. | 3Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. |
| 4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men. | 4Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; far from other people they dangle and sway. |
| 5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. | 5The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; |
| 6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. | 6lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. |
| 7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: | 7No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it. |
| 8The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. | 8Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. |
| 9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. | 9People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains. |
| 10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. | 10They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures. |
| 11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. | 11They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light. |
| 12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? | 12But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? |
| 13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. | 13No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. |
| 14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. | 14The deep says, "It is not in me"; the sea says, "It is not with me." |
| 15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. | 15It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. |
| 16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. | 16It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. |
| 17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. | 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. |
| 18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. | 18Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. |
| 19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. | 19The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. |
| 20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? | 20Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? |
| 21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. | 21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky. |
| 22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. | 22Destruction and Death say, "Only a rumor of it has reached our ears." |
| 23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. | 23God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, |
| 24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; | 24for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. | 25When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, |
| 26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: | 26when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, |
| 27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. | 27then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. |
| 28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. | 28And he said to the human race, "The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." |
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