“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

“Surely there is a mine for silver
And a place where they refine gold.

“But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?

“When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,

“Iron is taken from the dust,
And copper is smelted from rock.

“For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.

“Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.

“He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the base.

“Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’

“Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is the place of understanding?

“He hews out channels through the rocks,
And his eye sees anything precious.

“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

“It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.

When He set a limit for the rain
And a course for the thunderbolt,

“The path no bird of prey knows,
Nor has the falcon’s eye caught sight of it.

“Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

“Man puts an end to darkness,
And to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.

“God understands its way,
And He knows its place.

“The proud beasts have not trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

“Its rocks are the source of sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.

“He dams up the streams from flowing,
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

“Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.

“The earth, from it comes food,
And underneath it is turned up as fire.

“Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living
And concealed from the birds of the sky.

“He sinks a shaft far from habitation,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing to and fro far from men.

Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.

“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’