Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

1There is a place wher siluer is brought out of, and where golde is tryed,

2Where yron is digged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall.

3The darkenesse shall once come to an ende: he can seke out the grounde of all thinges, the stones, the darke, and the shadowe of death.

4He causeth the fluddes to breake out against the inhabitant, and the waters forgotten of the foote, beyng hygher then man, are gone away.

5Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it as it were fire is turned vp.

6The stones of it are a place of Saphires, and the dust of it is golde.

7There is a way that the birdes knowe not, that no vultures eye hath seene:

8Wherin the lions whelpes walke not, and where no lion commeth.

9There putteth he his hande vpon the stonie rockes, and ouerthroweth the mountaynes by the rootes.

10Riuers flowe out of the rockes, & loke what is pleasaunt, his eye seeth it.

11He bindeth the fluddes that they do not ouerflow: and the thing that is hid bringeth he to light.

12Where then is wysdome founde? and where is the place of vnderstanding?

13Ueryly no man can tell howe worthy a thing she is, neither is she found in the lande of them that lyue.

14The deepe sayth, She is not in me: the sea sayth, She is not with me.

15She can not be gotten for golde, neither may the price of her be bought with any siluer.

16No wedges of gold of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphires may be valued with her.

17No, neither golde nor christall shall be equall vnto it, nor her exchaunge shalbe for the plate of fine golde.

18No mention shalbe made of Corall nor of the Gabis: for wisdome is more precious then pearles.

19The Topas of Ethiopia shall not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure golde.

20Whence then commeth wysdome? and where is the place of vnderstanding?

21She is hid from the eyes of all men liuing, yea & from the foules of the ayre.

22Destruction and death say, We haue hearde the fame therof with our eares.

23But God seeth her way, and knoweth her place.

24For he beholdeth the endes of the worlde, and loketh vpon all that is vnder heauen.

25When he wayed the windes and measured the waters:

26When he made a decree for the rayne, and a way for the lightninges of the thunder:

27Then dyd he see her, then declared he her, prepared her, and knewe her.

28And vnto man he sayd: To feare the Lorde is wysdome, and to forsake euyll is vnderstanding.