1Silver hath [the] beginning of his veins; and a place is to gold, in which it is welled together.

2Iron is taken from the earth, and a stone dissolved, or melted, by heat, is turned into money.

3God hath set time to darknesses, and he beholdeth the end of all things. Also a strand [or stream] parteth a stone of darkness, and the shadow of death,

4from the people going in pilgrim-age; it parteth those hills, which the foot of a needy man forgat, and hills without a way.

5The earth, whereof bread came forth in his place, is destroyed by fire.

6The place of a sapphire be the stones thereof, and the clots thereof be gold.

7A bird knew not the way, and the eye of a vulture beheld it not.

8The sons of merchants trode not upon that way, and a lioness passed not thereby.

9God stretched forth his hand to a flint; he destroyed [the] hills from the roots thereof.

10He hewed down rivers in stones; and his eye saw all precious thing/s.

11And he sought out the depths or deepness of floods; and he brought forth hid things into light.

12But where is wisdom found, and which is the place of understanding?

13Man knoweth not the price there-of, neither it is found in the land of men living delicately.

14The depth of waters saith, It is not in me; and the sea speaketh, It is not with me.

15Gold full clean shall not be given for wisdom, neither silver shall be weighed in the exchanging thereof.

16It shall not be comparisoned to the dyed colours of India, nor to the most precious stone sardius, neither to the sapphire.

17Neither gold, neither glass shall be made even worth thereto; and high and far appearing vessels of gold shall not be exchanged for wisdom,

18neither they shall be had in mind in comparison thereof. Forsooth wisdom is drawn out of privy things;

19topaz of Ethiopia shall not be made even worth to wisdom, and most precious dyeings shall not be set together in price, or comparisoned, thereto.

20Therefore whereof cometh wisdom, and which is the place of understanding?

21It is hid from the eyes of all living men; and also it is hid from the birds of heaven, or of the air.

22Perdition and death said, With our ears we have heard the fame of wisdom.

23God understandeth the way there-of, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24For he beholdeth the ends of the world, and beholdeth all things that be under heaven.

25He hath made weight to winds, and he hath weighed waters in measure.

26When he set law to rain, and way to tempests sounding;

27then he saw wisdom, and told it out, and he made it ready, and sought it out.

28And he said to man, Lo! the dread of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to go away from evil, is understanding.