Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

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

1Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

2Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore.

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

3A miner puts an end to the darkness; he probes the deepest recesses for ore in the gloomy darkness.

3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

4He cuts a shaft far from human habitation, in places unknown to those who walk above ground. Suspended far away from people, the miners swing back and forth.

4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

5Food may come from the earth, but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.

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

6Its rocks are a source of lapis lazuli, containing flecks of gold.

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

7No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon's eye has seen it.

7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

8Proud beasts have never walked on it; no lion has ever prowled over it.

8The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

9The miner uses a flint tool and turns up ore from the root of the mountains.

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

10He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.

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

11He dams up the streams from flowing so that he may bring to light what is hidden.

11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

12But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located?

12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

13No one can know its value, since it cannot be found in the land of the living.

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

14The ocean depths say, "It's not in me," while the sea declares, "I don't have it."

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

15Gold cannot be exchanged for it, and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.

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

16Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

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

17Gold and glass do not compare with it, and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.

17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

18Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning. The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.

18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it, and it cannot be valued in pure gold.

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

20Where then does wisdom come from, and where is understanding located?

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

21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the sky.

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

22Abaddon and Death say, "We have heard news of it with our ears."

22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

23But God understands the way to wisdom, and he knows its location.

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

24For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.

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

25When God fixed the weight of the wind and distributed the water by measure,

25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

26when he established a limit for the rain and a path for the lightning,

26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

27he considered wisdom and evaluated it; he established it and examined it.

27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

28He said to mankind, "The fear of the LORD--that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding."

28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.