Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

1There are places where syluer is molte, & where golde is tryed:

2where yron is dygged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall.

3The darcknes shal once come to an ende, he can seke out the grounde of all thinges: the stones, the darcke, & the horrible shadowe,

4wt the ryuer of water parteth he a sunder the straunge people, yt knoweth no good neghbourheade: soch as are rude, vnmanerly & boysteous.

5He bryngeth foode out of the earth, & yt which is vnder, consumeth he with fyre.

6There is founde a place, whose stones are clene Saphirs, and where ye clottes of the earth are golde.

7There is a waye also that the byrdes knowe not, that no vulturs eye hath sene:

8wherin ye proude & hye mynded walke not, & where no lyon commeth.

9There putteth he his honde vpon the stony rockes, & ouerthroweth the mountaynes.

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

11Out of droppes bryngeth he greate floudes together, & the thinge that is hyd bryngeth he to light.

12How commeth a man then by wysdome? Where is the place that men fynde vnderstondinge?

13Verely no man can tell how worthy a thinge she is, nether is she foude in the lode of the lyuynge.

14The depe sayeth: she is not in me. The see sayeth: she is not with me.

15She can not be gotten for the most fyne golde, nether maye the pryce of her be bought with eny moneye.

16No wedges of golde of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphirs maye be compared vnto her.

17No, nether golde ner Christall, nether swete odours ner golden plate.

18There is nothinge so worthy, or so excellet, as once to be named vnto her: for parfecte wysdome goeth farre beyonde the all.

19The Topas that cometh out of Inde, maye in no wyse be lickened vnto her: yee no maner of apparell how pleasaunt and fayre so euer it be.

20From whece then commeth wysdome? & where is the place of vnderstondinge?

21She is hyd from the eyes of all men, yee & fro the foules of the ayre.

22Destruccion & death saie: we haue herde tell of her wt oure eares.

23But God seyth hir waie, & knoweth hir place.

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

25When he weyed the wyndes, & measured ye waters:

26when he set the rayne in ordre, and gaue the mightie floudes a lawe:

27Then dyd he se her, the declared he her, prepared her and knewe her.

28And vnto man he sayde: Beholde, to feare the LORDE, is wysdome: & to forsake euell, is vnderstondinge.