1  For there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.

1  Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is melted.

1  SURELY there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined.

2  Iron is taken out of the dust, and brass is molten out of the stone.

2  For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone.

3  Man setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out to the furthest bound the stones of thick darkness and of the shadow of death.

3  He has established a time for darkness, and he has settled on an end for all things, as well as for the stone that is in the gloom and shadow of death.

3  God sets an end to darkness, and knows the end of everything, the deep and dark mine and the shadow of death.

4  He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot that passeth by; they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.

4  There is a cutting off the torrent by reason of dust: so they that forget the right way are weakened; they are removed from among men.

4  They have inherited a ruined mine from an alien people; they are gone astray from the right path and their number has diminished from among men.

5  As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

5  The land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fire.

5  They lay open the earth, out of which comes sustenance; and from under it is turned up material as if it were burned with fire.

6  The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.

6  Her stones are the place of the sapphire: and her dust supplies man with gold.

6  Its stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with gold.

7  That path no bird of prey knoweth, neither hath the falcon's eye seen it;

7  There is a path, the fowl has not known it, neither has the eye of the vulture seen it

7  The bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld it.

8  The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor hath the lion passed thereby.

9  He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.

9  He has stretched forth his hand on the sharp rock, and turned up mountains by the roots

9  The miner puts forth his hand upon the hard rock to break it; he overturns the mountains from their foundations.

10  He cutteth out channels among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

10  and he has interrupted the whirlpools of rivers, and mine eye has seen every precious thing.

11  He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

11  And he has laid bare the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light.

11  The depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the light.

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

12  But whence has wisdom been discovered? and what is the place of knowledge?

12  But, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?

13  Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

13  A mortal has not known its way, neither indeed has it been discovered among men.

13  Man does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetness.

14  The deep saith: 'It is not in me'; and the sea saith: 'It is not with me.'

14  The abyss declares, “It is not in me.” And the sea says, “It is not with me.”

14  The depth says, It is not in me, and the sea says, It is not with me.

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

15  One shall not give fine gold instead of it, neither shall silver be weighed in exchange for it.

15  The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for it.

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

16  Neither shall it be compared with gold of Sophir, with the precious onyx and sapphire.

16  It will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphire.

17  Gold and glass cannot equal it; neither shall the exchange thereof be vessels of fine gold.

17  Neither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for it.

17  The gold and the crystal cannot equal it; nor can precious pearls, jewels, and emeralds equal it.

18  No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

18  The exalted and the eminent will not be remembered in comparison with it. Yet wisdom is drawn out of concealment.

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

19  For the price of wisdom is above everything, and nothing can equal it. The pearls of Ethiopia and the topaz cannot equal it.

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

20  So then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understanding?

21  Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

21  It has escaped the notice of every man, and has been hidden from the birds of the sky.

21  It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape notice.

22  Destruction and Death say: 'We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.'

22  Perdition and death have said, “With our ears, we have heard its fame.”

23  God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.

23  God has well ordered the way of it, and he knows the place of it.

23  Because only God understands the way of it, and he knows the place thereof.

24  For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

24  For he surveys the whole earth under heaven, knowing the things in the earth

24  For he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heaven.

25  When He maketh a weight for the wind, and meteth out the waters by measure.

26  When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the storm of thunders;

26  At that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding storms.

27  Then did He see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.

27  Then he saw it, and declared it: he prepared it and traced it out.

27  Then he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined it.

28  And unto man He said: 'Behold, the fear of YHWH, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.'

28  And he said to man, Behold, godliness is wisdom: and to abstain from evil is understanding.