¹For there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold where they refine it.

²Iron is taken from the dust, and stone is smelted into bronze.

³He puts an end to the darkness, and to every farthest limit he searches out the stone of gloom and deep shadow.

⁴He breaks open a shaft away from the sojourner, those forgotten by the foot; they hang low, away from humankind they sway.

⁵As for the land, food comes forth from it, but what is under it is turned over like fire.

⁶Its stones are a place of sapphire, and it has dust of gold.

⁷A path no bird of prey has known, and the eye of the falcon has not caught sight of it.

⁸The sons of pride have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it.

⁹On the flint he stretches out his hand; he overturns the mountains from the root.

¹⁰In the rocks he splits open channels, and his eye sees every precious thing.

¹¹He restrains the rivers from weeping, and its secret he brings out to light.

¹²And wisdom, from where will she be found? And where then is the place of understanding?

¹³Humankind has not known her order, and she is not found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The deep says, She is not in me; and the sea says, She is not with me.

¹⁵Stored gold will not be given in place of her, and silver will not be weighed out as her price.

¹⁶She cannot be weighed against the gold of Ophir, against precious onyx and sapphire.

¹⁷Gold and glass cannot compare with her, nor is her exchange a vessel of refined gold.

¹⁸Corals and crystal will not be remembered, and the drawing up of wisdom is beyond pearls.

¹⁹The topaz of Cush cannot compare with her; she cannot be weighed in pure gold.

²⁰And wisdom, from where does she come? And where then is the place of understanding?

²¹She is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, and from the bird of the skies, she is concealed.

²²Abaddon and death said, With our ears we heard a report of her.

²³God discerns her way, and he knows her place.

²⁴For he looks to the ends of the land; he sees under all the skies.

²⁵When he made a weight for the wind, and the waters he meted out by measure.

²⁶When he made a limit for the rain, and a path for the lightning flash of the thunder-sounds,

²⁷then he saw it and recounted it; he established it and also searched it out.

²⁸And he said to man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and turning aside from evil is understanding.