| Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. | 1“Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. |
| 2Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore. | 2Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore. |
| 3A miner puts an end to the darkness; he probes the deepest recesses for ore in the gloomy darkness. | 3Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness. |
| 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. | 4He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro. |
| 5Food may come from the earth, but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire. | 5As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath it is turned up as by fire. |
| 6Its rocks are a source of sapphire, containing flecks of gold. | 6Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. |
| 7No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon's eye has seen it. | 7“That path no bird of prey knows, and the falcon’s eye has not seen it. |
| 8Proud beasts have never walked on it; no lion has ever prowled over it. | 8The proud beasts have not trodden it; the lion has not passed over it. |
| 9The miner strikes the flint and transforms the mountains at their foundations. | 9“Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. |
| 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure. | 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. |
| 11He dams up the streams from flowing so that he may bring to light what is hidden. | 11He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. |
| 12But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located? | 12“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? |
| 13No man can know its value, since it cannot be found in the land of the living. | 13Man does not know its worth, and it is not 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 deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ |
| 15Gold cannot be exchanged for it, and silver cannot be weighed out for its price. | 15It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. |
| 16Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. | 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. |
| 17Gold and glass do not compare with it, and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it. | 17Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged 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 crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. |
| 19Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it, and it cannot be valued in pure gold. | 19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. |
| 20Where then does wisdom come from, and where is understanding located? | 20“From where, then, does wisdom come? 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. | 21It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. |
| 22Abaddon and Death say, "We have heard news of it with our ears." | 22Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’ |
| 23But God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its location. | 23“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. |
| 24For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. | 24For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25When God fixed the weight of the wind and limited the water by measure, | 25When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned 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 he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out. |
| 28He said to mankind, "The fear of the Lord is this: wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding." | 28And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” |
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