King James Bible

New Living Translation

1Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

1“People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold.

2Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.

2They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock.

3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

3They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore.

4The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

4They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives. They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.

5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

5Food is grown on the earth above, but down below, the earth is melted as by fire.

6The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.

6Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli, and the dust contains gold.

7There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

7These are treasures no bird of prey can see, no falcon’s eye observe.

8The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

8No wild animal has walked upon these treasures; no lion has ever set his paw there.

9He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.

9People know how to tear apart flinty rocks and overturn the roots of mountains.

10He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

10They cut tunnels in the rocks and uncover precious stones.

11He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

11They dam up the trickling streams and bring to light the hidden treasures.

12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

12“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?

13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

13No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living.

14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

14‘It is not here,’ says the ocean. ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.

15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

15It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver.

16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

16It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.

17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

17Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.

18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

18Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies.

19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

19Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold.

20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

20“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?

21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

21It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it.

22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

22Destruction and Death say, ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’

23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

23“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found,

24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

24for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens.

25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

25He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall.

26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

26He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning.

27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

27Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.

28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

28And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.