Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 There are mines where silver is dug; There are places where gold is refined.
1
"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.
2 We dig iron out of the ground And melt copper out of the stones.
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Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted out of the ore.
3 Miners explore the deepest darkness. They search the depths of the earth And dig for rocks in the darkness.
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Man sets an end to darkness, And searches out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4 Far from where anyone lives Or human feet ever travel, They dig the shafts of mines. There they work in loneliness, Clinging to ropes in the pits.
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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.
5 Food grows out of the earth, But underneath the same earth All is torn up and crushed.
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As for the earth, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6 The stones of the earth contain sapphires, And its dust contains gold.
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Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.
7 No hawk sees the roads to the mines, And no vulture ever flies over them.
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That path no bird of prey knows, Neither has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 No lion or other fierce beast Ever travels those lonely roads.
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The proud animals have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed by there.
9 Miners dig the hardest rocks, Dig mountains away at their base.
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He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, And he overturns the mountains by the roots.
10 As they tunnel through the rocks, They discover precious stones.
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He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.
11 They dig to the sources of rivers And bring to light what is hidden.
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He binds the streams that they don't trickle; The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found? Where can we learn to understand?
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"But where shall wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
13 Wisdom is not to be found among mortals; No one knows its true value.
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Man doesn't know its price; Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The depths of the oceans and seas Say that wisdom is not found there.
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The deep says, 'It isn't in me.' The sea says, 'It isn't with me.'
15 It cannot be bought with silver or gold.
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It can't be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for its price.
16 The finest gold and jewels Cannot equal its value.
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It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 It is worth more than gold, Than a gold vase or finest glass.
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Gold and glass can't equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 The value of wisdom is more Than coral or crystal or rubies.
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No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The finest topaz and the purest gold Cannot compare with the value of wisdom.
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The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Where, then, is the source of wisdom? Where can we learn to understand?
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Whence then comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?
21 No living creature can see it, Not even a bird in flight.
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Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the sky.
22 Even death and destruction Admit they have heard only rumors.
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Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'
23 God alone knows the way, Knows the place where wisdom is found,
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"God understands its way, And he knows its place.
24 Because he sees the ends of the earth, Sees everything under the sky.
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For he looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole sky.
25 When God gave the wind its power And determined the size of the sea;
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He establishes the force of the wind; Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
26 When God decided where the rain would fall, And the path that the thunderclouds travel;
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When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;
27 It was then he saw wisdom and tested its worth - He gave it his approval.
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Then did he see it, and declare it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.
28 God said to us humans, "To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil."
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To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.