Young's Literal Translation YLT
Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
1 Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
1
Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
2
Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore.
3 An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.
3
A miner puts an end to the darkness; he probes the deepest recesses for ore in the gloomy darkness.
4 A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.
4
He cuts a shaft far from human habitation, [in places] unknown to those who walk above ground. Suspended far away from people, the miners swing back and forth.
5 The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.
5
Food may come from the earth, but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.
6 A place of the sapphire [are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.
6
Its rocks are a source of sapphire, containing flecks of gold.
7 A path -- not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,
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No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon's eye has seen it.
8 Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.
8
Proud beasts have never walked on it; no lion has ever prowled over it.
9 Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.
9
The miner strikes the flint and transforms the mountains at [their] foundations.
10 Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.
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He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.
11 From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.
11
He dams up the streams from flowing so that he may bring to light what is hidden.
12 And the wisdom -- whence is it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
12
But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located?
13 Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
13
No man can know its value, since it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep hath said, `It [is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'
14
The ocean depths say, "It's not in me," while the sea declares, "I don't have it."
15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed -- its price.
15
Gold cannot be exchanged for it, and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.
16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
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Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
17
Gold and glass do not compare with it, and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.
18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.
18
Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning. The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
19 Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
19
Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it, and it cannot be valued in pure gold.
20 And the wisdom -- whence doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
20
Where then does wisdom come from, and where is understanding located?
21 It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.
21
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 Destruction and death have said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'
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Abaddon and Death say, "We have heard news of it with our ears."
23 God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.
23
But God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its location.
24 For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,
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For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
25 To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
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When God fixed the weight of the wind and limited the water by measure,
26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
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when He established a limit for the rain and a path for the lightning,
27 Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,
27
He considered wisdom and evaluated it; He established it and examined it.
28 And He saith to man: -- `Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is] understanding.'
28
He said to mankind, "Look! The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to turn from evil is understanding."
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.