| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1“People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold. | 1“Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. |
| 2They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock. | 2Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. |
| 3They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore. | 3Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness. |
| 4They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives. They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth. | 4Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways. |
| 5Food is grown on the earth above, but down below, the earth is melted as by fire. | 5Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire. |
| 6Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli, and the dust contains gold. | 6Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold. |
| 7These are treasures no bird of prey can see, no falcon’s eye observe. | 7No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it. |
| 8No wild animal has walked upon these treasures; no lion has ever set his paw there. | 8Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it. |
| 9People know how to tear apart flinty rocks and overturn the roots of mountains. | 9The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base. |
| 10They cut tunnels in the rocks and uncover precious stones. | 10He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure. |
| 11They dam up the trickling streams and bring to light the hidden treasures. | 11He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light. |
| 12“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? | 12But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell? |
| 13No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living. | 13No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. |
| 14‘It is not here,’ says the ocean. ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea. | 14The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’ |
| 15It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver. | 15It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. |
| 16It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli. | 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. |
| 17Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. | 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it. |
| 18Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies. | 18Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. |
| 19Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold. | 19Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. |
| 20“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? | 20From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell? |
| 21It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it. | 21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air. |
| 22Destruction and Death say, ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’ | 22Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’ |
| 23“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, | 23But God understands its way, and He knows its place. |
| 24for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. | 24For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. | 25When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters, |
| 26He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. | 26when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt, |
| 27Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. | 27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. |
| 28And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real 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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