New International Version NIV
New King James Version NKJV
1 There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
1
"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
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Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.
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Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; far from other people they dangle and sway.
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He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro.
5 The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;
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As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
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Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it.
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That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon's eye seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.
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The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
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He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots.
10 They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures.
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He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing.
11 They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light.
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He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?
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"But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13 No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.
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Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.”
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The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
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It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
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It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
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Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
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No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.
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The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
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"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky.
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It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
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Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a report about it with our ears.'
23 God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,
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God understands its way, And He knows its place.
24 for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
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For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens,
25 When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
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To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure.
26 when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
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When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.
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Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
28 And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
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And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.' "
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.