| 1 | Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is melted. |
| 2 | Iron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brass. |
| 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. |
| 4 | The burning separates a pilgrim people from those who have been forgotten by the feet of the destitute man and from the unapproachable. |
| 5 | The land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fire. |
| 6 | Its stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with gold. |
| 7 | The bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld it. |
| 8 | The sons of merchants have not walked there, nor has the lioness traveled through it. |
| 9 | He has stretched out his hand to the rocks; he has overturned the foundations of the mountains. |
| 10 | He has cut rivers through the rocks, and his eye has seen all precious things. |
| 11 | The depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the light. |
| 12 | But, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding? |
| 13 | Man does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetness. |
| 14 | The abyss declares, "It is not in me." And the sea says, "It is not with me." |
| 15 | The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for it. |
| 16 | It will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphire. |
| 17 | Neither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for it. |
| 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 will not be equal to it, nor will it be compared to the purest dyes. |
| 20 | So then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understanding? |
| 21 | It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape notice. |
| 22 | Perdition and death have said, "With our ears, we have heard its fame." |
| 23 | God understands its way, and he knows its location. |
| 24 | For he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heaven. |
| 25 | He created a counterweight for the winds, and he suspended the waters to measure them. |
| 26 | At that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding storms. |
| 27 | Then he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined it. |
| 28 | And he said to man, "Behold the fear of the Lord. Such is wisdom. And to withdraw from evil, this is understanding." |
