He said to mankind,
“The fear of the Lord is this: wisdom.
And to turn from evil is understanding.”

Surely there is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.

But where can wisdom be found,
and where is understanding located?

When God fixed the weight of the wind
and limited the water by measure,

Iron is taken from the ground,
and copper is smelted from ore.

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

Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning.
The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.

The miner strikes the flint
and transforms the mountains at their foundations.

Abaddon and Death say,
“We have heard news of it with our ears.”

Where then does wisdom come from,
and where is understanding located?

He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eyes spot every treasure.

Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,
and it cannot be valued in pure gold.

Gold cannot be exchanged for it,
and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.

Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.

when He established a limit for the rain
and a path for the lightning,

No bird of prey knows that path;
no falcon’s eye has seen it.

Gold and glass do not compare with it,
and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.

A miner puts an end to the darkness;
he probes the deepest recesses
for ore in the gloomy darkness.

But God understands the way to wisdom,
and He knows its location.

Proud beasts have never walked on it;
no lion has ever prowled over it.

Its rocks are a source of sapphire,
containing flecks of gold.

He dams up the streams from flowing
so that he may bring to light what is hidden.

No man can know its value,
since it cannot be found in the land of the living.

Food may come from the earth,
but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.

It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the sky.

He cuts a shaft far from human habitation,
in places unknown to those who walk above ground.
Suspended far away from people,
the miners swing back and forth.

He considered wisdom and evaluated it;
He established it and examined it.

The ocean depths say, “It’s not in me,”
while the sea declares, “I don’t have it.”