1 The siluer surely hath his veyne, and ye gold his place, where they take it. 2 Yron is taken out of the dust, and brasse is molten out of the stone. 3 God putteth an end to darkenesse, and he tryeth the perfection of all things: he setteth a bond of darkenesse, and of the shadowe of death. 4 The flood breaketh out against the inhabitant, and the waters forgotten of the foote, being higher then man, are gone away. 5 Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it, as it were fire is turned vp. 6 The stones thereof are a place of saphirs, and the dust of it is golde. 7 There is a path which no foule hath knowen, neyther hath the kites eye seene it. 8 The lyons whelpes haue not walked it, nor the lyon passed thereby. 9 He putteth his hand vpon the rockes, and ouerthroweth the mountaines by the rootes. 10 He breaketh riuers in the rockes, and his eye seeth euery precious thing. 11 He bindeth the floods, that they doe not ouerflowe, and the thing that is hid, bringeth he to light. 12 But where is wisdome found? and where is the place of vnderstanding? 13 Man knoweth not the price thereof: for it is not found in the land of the liuing. 14 The depth sayth, It is not in mee: the sea also sayth, It is not with me. 15 Golde shall not be giuen for it, neyther shall siluer be weighed for the price thereof. 16 It shall not be valued with the wedge of golde of Ophir, nor with the precious onix, nor the saphir. 17 The golde nor the chrystall shall be equall vnto it, nor the exchange shalbe for plate of fine golde. 18 No mention shall be made of coral, nor of the gabish: for wisedome is more precious then pearles. 19 The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold. 20 Whence then commeth wisedome? and where is the place of vnderstanding, 21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all the liuing, and is hid from the foules of the heauen? 22 Destruction and death say, We haue heard the fame thereof with our eares. 23 But God vnderstandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 24 For he beholdeth the endes of the world, and seeth all that is vnder heauen, 25 To make the weight of the windes, and to weigh the waters by measure. 26 When he made a decree for the rayne, and a way for the lightening of the thunders, 27 Then did he see it, and counted it: he prepared it and also considered it. 28 And vnto man he said, Behold, the feare of the Lord is wisedome, and to depart from euil is vnderstanding.
In Praise of Wisdom
1 There are mines where silver is dug;
There are places where gold is refined.
2 We dig iron out of the ground
And melt copper out of the stones.
3 Miners explore the deepest darkness.
They search the depths of the earth
And dig for rocks in the darkness.
4 Far from where anyone lives
Or human feet ever travel,
They dig the shafts of mines.
There they work in loneliness,
Clinging to ropes in the pits.
5 Food grows out of the earth,
But underneath the same earth
All is torn up and crushed.
6 The stones of the earth contain sapphires,
And its dust contains gold.
7 No hawk sees the roads to the mines,
And no vulture ever flies over them.
8 No lion or other fierce beast
Ever travels those lonely roads.
9 Miners dig the hardest rocks,
Dig mountains away at their base.
10 As they tunnel through the rocks,
They discover precious stones.
11 They dig to the sources of rivers
And bring to light what is hidden.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
Where can we learn to understand?
13 Wisdom is not to be found among mortals;
No one knows its true value.
14 The depths of the oceans and seas
Say that wisdom is not found there.
15 It cannot be bought with silver or gold.
16 The finest gold and jewels
Cannot equal its value.
17 It is worth more than gold,
Than a gold vase or finest glass.
18 The value of wisdom is more
Than coral or crystal or rubies.
19 The finest topaz and the purest gold
Cannot compare with the value of wisdom.
20 Where, then, is the source of wisdom?
Where can we learn to understand?
21 No living creature can see it,
Not even a bird in flight.
22 Even death and destruction
Admit they have heard only rumors.
23 God alone knows the way,
Knows the place where wisdom is found,
24 Because he sees the ends of the earth,
Sees everything under the sky.
25 When God gave the wind its power
And determined the size of the sea;
26 When God decided where the rain would fall,
And the path that the thunderclouds travel;
27 It was then he saw wisdom and tested its worth—
He gave it his approval.
28 God said to us humans,
“To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord.
To understand, you must turn from evil.”