Hebrew Names Version HNV
New International Version NIV
1 "Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.
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There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken out of the eretz, And copper is smelted out of the ore.
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Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man sets an end to darkness, And searches out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
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Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
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Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 As for the eretz, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
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The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;
6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
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lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 That path no bird of prey knows, Neither has the falcon's eye seen it.
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No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.
8 The proud animals have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
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Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.
9 He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, And he overturns the mountains by the roots.
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People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
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They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures.
11 He binds the streams that they don't trickle; The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.
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They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light.
12 "But where shall wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
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But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?
13 Man doesn't know its price; Neither is it found in the land of the living.
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No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, 'It isn't in me.' The sea says, 'It isn't with me.'
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The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.”
15 It can't be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for its price.
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It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 It can't be valued with the gold of Ofir, With the precious shoham, or the sappir.
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It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
17 Gold and zekukeet can't equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
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Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 No mention shall be made of ra`mah or of gabeesh: Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
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Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The pitdah of Kush shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
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The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 Whence then comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
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Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the sky.
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It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'
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Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 "God understands its way, And he knows its place.
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God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 For he looks to the ends of the eretz, And sees under the whole sky.
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for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
25 He establishes the force of the wind; Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
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When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
26 When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;
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when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 Then did he see it, and declare it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
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then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.
28 To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"
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And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.