1 Truly there is a vein for silver, And a place for gold, which men refine. 2 Iron is obtained from earth, And stone is melted into copper. 3 Man putteth an end to darkness; He searcheth to the lowest depths For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death. 4 From the place where they dwell they open a shaft; Forgotten by the feet, They hang down, they swing away from men. 5 The earth, out of which cometh bread, Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire. 6 Her stones are the place of sapphires, And she hath clods of gold for man. 7 The path thereto no bird knoweth, And the vulture's eye hath not seen it; 8 The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it; The lion hath not passed over it. 9 Man layeth his hand upon the rock; He upturneth mountains from their roots; 10 He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, And his eye seeth every precious thing; 11 He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, And bringeth hidden things to light. 12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 Man knoweth not the price thereof, Nor can it be found in the land of the living. 14 The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me. 15 It cannot be gotten for gold, Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof. 16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx or the sapphire. 17 Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it; Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; For wisdom is more precious than pearls. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be purchased with pure gold. 20 Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? 21 Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the fowls of the air. 22 Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor of it with our ears. 23 God knoweth the way to it; He knoweth its dwelling-place. 24 For he seeth to the ends of the earth, And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven. 25 When he gave the winds their weight, And meted out the waters by measure; 26 When he prescribed a law to the rain, And a path to the thunder-flash,— 27 Then did he see it, and make it known; He established it, and searched it out. 28 But he said unto man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.

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