| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. | 1"Surely there is a mine for silver And a place where they refine gold. |
| 2Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. | 2"Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. |
| 3Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. | 3"Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. |
| 4Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; far from other people they dangle and sway. | 4"He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men. |
| 5The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; | 5"The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire. |
| 6lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. | 6"Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. |
| 7No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it. | 7"The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon's eye caught sight of it. |
| 8Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. | 8"The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. |
| 9People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains. | 9"He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. |
| 10They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures. | 10"He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. |
| 11They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light. | 11"He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light. |
| 12But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? | 12"But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? |
| 13No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. | 13"Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. |
| 14The deep says, "It is not in me"; the sea says, "It is not with me." | 14"The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.' |
| 15It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. | 15"Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. |
| 16It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. | 16"It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. |
| 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. | 17"Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. |
| 18Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. | 18"Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. |
| 19The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. | 19"The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. |
| 20Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? | 20"Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? |
| 21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky. | 21"Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. |
| 22Destruction and Death say, "Only a rumor of it has reached our ears." | 22"Abaddon and Death say, 'With our ears we have heard a report of it.' |
| 23God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, | 23"God understands its way, And He knows its place. |
| 24for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. | 24"For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, | 25"When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure, |
| 26when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, | 26When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt, |
| 27then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. | 27Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. |
| 28And he said to the human race, "The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." | 28"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'" |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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