"Surely there
is a 1mine
for silver
And a place
2where they refine
gold
.
"Iron is taken
from the dust
, And copper
is smelted
from rock
.
"Man puts an end
to darkness
, And ato the farthest
limit
he searches
out The rock
in gloom
and deep
shadow
.
"He 1sinks a shaft
far from 2habitation
, Forgotten
by the foot
; They hang
and swing
to and fro
far from men
.
"The earth, from it comes
food
, And underneath
it is turned
up as fire
.
"Its rocks are the 1source
of sapphires
, And its dust
contains gold
.
"The path no
bird
of prey
knows
, Nor
has the falcon's
eye
caught
sight
of it.
"The 1proud beasts
have not trodden
it, Nor
has the fierce lion
passed
over
it.
"He puts his hand
on the flint
; He overturns
the mountains
at the 1base
.
"He hews out channels
through the rocks
, And his eye
sees
anything
precious
.
"He dams up the streams
from 1flowing
, And what
is hidden
he brings
out to the light
.
"But awhere can wisdom
be found
? And where
is the place
of understanding
?
" aMan does not know
its value
, Nor
is it found
in the land
of the living
.
"The deep says
, `It is not in me'; And the sea
says
, `It is not with me.'
" aPure 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
.
" aGold or glass
cannot
equal
it, Nor
can it be exchanged
for articles
of fine
gold
.
"Coral and crystal
are not to be mentioned
; And the acquisition
of awisdom
is above
that of pearls
.
"The topaz of Ethiopia
cannot
equal
it, Nor
can it be valued
in apure
gold
.
" aWhere then does wisdom
come
from? And where
is the place
of understanding
?
"Thus it is hidden from the eyes
of all
living
And concealed
from the birds
of the sky
.
" 1 aAbaddon and Death
say
, `With our ears
we have heard
a report
of it.'
" aGod understands
its way
, And He knows
its place
.
"For He alooks to the ends
of the earth
And sees
everything
under
the heavens
.
"When He imparted aweight
to the wind
And bmeted
out the waters
by measure
,
When He set a alimit
for the rain
And a course
for the bthunderbolt
,
Then He saw
it and declared
it; He established
it and also
searched
it out.
"And to man He said
, `Behold
, the afear
of the Lord
, that is wisdom
; And to depart
from evil
is understanding
.' "