¶ Surely there is a vein¹ for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it².

Iron³ is taken out of the earth⁴, and brass is molten out of the stone.

He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth⁵ out all perfection: the stones⁶ of darkness, and the shadow of death.

The flood⁷ breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot⁸: they are dried up, they are gone away⁹ from men.

As for the earth, out of it¹⁰ cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire¹¹.

The stones of it are the place of sapphires¹²: and it hath dust of gold¹³.

There is a path¹⁴ which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

The lion's whelps have not trodden¹⁵ it, nor the fierce lion¹⁷ passed by it.

He putteth forth his hand upon the rock¹⁸; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.

¶ He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing¹⁹.

He bindeth²⁰ the floods from overflowing²¹; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

²²But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

Man knoweth²³ not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land²⁴ of the living.

¶²⁵The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

It cannot be gotten for gold²⁶, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

It cannot be valued with the gold²⁷ of Ophir, with the precious onyx²⁸, or the sapphire.

The gold and the crystal²⁹ cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels³⁰ of fine gold.

No mention shall be made of coral³¹, or of pearls³²: for the price of wisdom is above rubies³³.

The topaz³⁴ of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

¶³⁵Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

Seeing it is hid³⁶ from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls³⁷ of the air³⁸.

Destruction³⁹ and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

⁴⁰God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

⁴¹For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

To make the weight⁴² for the winds; and he weigheth⁴³ the waters by measure.

When he made⁴⁴ a decree for the rain, and a way⁴⁵ for the lightning of the thunder:

Then did he see it, and declare it;⁴⁶ he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

And unto man⁴⁷ he said, Behold, the fear⁴⁸ of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart⁴⁹ from evil is understanding.