“But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverential and worshipful 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 gave weight and pressure to the wind
And allotted the waters by measure,

“Iron is taken out of the earth,
And copper is smelted from the stone ore.

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

“No mention of coral and crystal can be made;
For the possession of wisdom is even above [that of] rubies or pearls.

“Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock;
He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].

“Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say,
‘We have [only] heard a report of it with our ears.’

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

“He cuts out channels and passages among the rocks;
And his eye sees every precious thing.

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

“It cannot be obtained for pure gold,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

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

When He made a limit for the rain
And a way for the thunderbolt,

“The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows,
And the falcon’s eye has not caught sight of it.

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

“Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light],
And to the farthest bounds he searches out
The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.

“God understands the way [to wisdom]
And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].

“The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

“Its stones are the bed of sapphires;
It holds dust of gold.

“Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine],
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

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

“[As for] the earth, out of it comes food,
But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

“It is hidden from the eyes of all the living
And concealed from the birds of the heavens.

“He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live,
[In places] forgotten by the [human] foot;
They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

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

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