1 Where Can Wisdom Be Found? “ 28:1Or For Surely there is a 28:1Or source mine for silver,And a place 28:1Lit for gold they refine where they refine for gold.
2 “Iron is taken from the dust,And copper is smelted from rock.
3 “Manputs an end to darkness,And to the farthest limit he searches outThe rock in thick darkness and shadow of death.
4 “He 28:4 Lit breaks open sinks a shaft far from 28:4 Lit sojourning 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 overturned as fire.
6 “Its rocks are the 28:6Or place source of sapphires,And its dustcontainsgold.
7 “The path no bird of prey knows,Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.
8 “The 28:8Lit sons of pride proud beasts have not trodden it,Nor has thefiercelion passed over it.
9 “He sends his hand forth to the flint;He overturns the mountains at the 28:9Lit roots base.
10 “He breaks out channels through the rocks,And his eye sees anything precious.
11 “He dams up the streams from 28:11Lit weeping 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 worth,And it is not 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 place of 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 meet its worth,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 abovethat ofpearls.
19 “The topaz of 28:19Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6 Ethiopia cannot meet its worth,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 livingAnd concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 “ 28:22Lit The realm of destruction 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 earthAnd sees everything under the heavens.
25 “When He set weight to the windAnd meted out the waters by measure,
26 When He set a limit for the rainAnd a course for the thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and recounted it;He established it and also searched it out.
28 “So He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;And to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”