1 “Indeed, there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3 An end to darkness he has set, and to every limit he is searching, to rocks in deepest darkness.
4 He opens a shaft far away from people; they are forgotten by feet; they hang far away from men; they swing to and fro.
5 Earth, out of which grows food, is turned underneath as by fire;
6 its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows the path, nor has the hawk’s eye seen it.
8 The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
9 He puts his hand on the flint; he shall overturn the mountains at the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious gem.
11 He dams up the sources of the rivers; and he brings to light what is hidden.
12 And wisdom – where is it found? And where is the place of?
13 Man does not know its value, and it is not found in the land of the living.
14 The deep has said, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea has said, ‘It is not with me.’
15 Gold is not given for it, nor is silver weighed out as its price.
16 It is not valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious shoham or sapphire.
17 Gold or crystal are not to be compared with it, nor is it exchanged for a vessel of fine gold.
18 No mention is made of coral or crystal, for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Kush is not to be compared with it, nor is it valued in clean gold.
20 And wisdom – from where does it come? And where is the place of?
21 It has been hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the heavens.
22 Destruction and death have said, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 Elohim has understood its way, and He has known its place.
24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, sees under all the heavens,
25 making a weight for the wind, and measuring out the waters by measure.
26 When He made a law for the rain, and a way for the lightning of thunder,
27 then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it and also searched it out.
28 And He said to man, ‘See, the fear of יהוה, that is wisdom, and to turn from evil is understanding.’ ”