1Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine. 2Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is molten out of the stone. 3Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out to the furthest bound the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness. 4He breaks open a shaft away from where men sojourn, paths forgotten by the foot. They hang afar from men; they swing to and fro. 5As for the earth, out of it comes bread, and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. 6The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. 7No bird of prey knows that path, nor has the falcon's eye seen it. 8The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed thereby. 9He puts forth his hand upon the flinty rock. He overturns the mountains by the roots. 10He cuts out channels among the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. 11He binds the streams that they not trickle. And the thing that is hid he brings forth 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 with me. 15It cannot be gotten for gold, nor shall silver be weighed for the price of it. 16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 17Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. 18No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal. Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, nor shall it be valued with pure gold. 20Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 21Since it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept closed from the birds of the heavens. 22Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears. 23God understands the way of it, and he knows the place of it. 24For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven, 25to make a weight for the wind. Yea, he distributes the waters by measure. 26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder, 27then he saw it, and declared it. He established 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.