1Truly there is a vein for silver, And a place for gold, which men refine.

2Iron is obtained from earth, And stone is melted into copper.

3Man putteth an end to darkness; He searcheth to the lowest depths For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death.

4From the place where they dwell they open a shaft; Forgotten by the feet, They hang down, they swing away from men.

5The earth, out of which cometh bread, Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire.

6Her stones are the place of sapphires, And she hath clods of gold for man.

7The path thereto no bird knoweth, And the vulture's eye hath not seen it;

8The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it; The lion hath not passed over it.

9Man layeth his hand upon the rock; He upturneth mountains from their roots;

10He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, And his eye seeth every precious thing;

11He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, And bringeth hidden things to light.

12But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13Man knoweth not the price thereof, Nor can it be found in the land of the living.

14The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.

15It cannot be gotten for gold, Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof.

16It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx or the sapphire.

17Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it; Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold.

18No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; For wisdom is more precious than pearls.

19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be purchased with pure gold.

20Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?

21Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the fowls of the air.

22Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.

23God knoweth the way to it; He knoweth its dwelling-place.

24For he seeth to the ends of the earth, And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven.

25When he gave the winds their weight, And meted out the waters by measure;

26When he prescribed a law to the rain, And a path to the thunder-flash,—

27Then did he see it, and make it known; He established it, and searched it out.

28But he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.