1 Gold and silver are mined,

then purified;

2 the same is done

with iron and copper.

3 Miners carry lanterns

deep into the darkness

to search for these metals.

4 They dig tunnels

in distant, unknown places,

where they dangle by ropes.

5 Far beneath the grain fields,

fires are built

to break loose those rocks

6 that have jewels or gold.*

7 Miners go to places unseen

by the eyes of hawks;

8 they walk on soil unknown

to the proudest lions.

9 With their own hands

they remove sharp rocks

and uproot mountains.

10 They dig through the rocks

in search of jewels

and precious metals.

11 They also uncover

the sources of* rivers

and discover secret places.

12 * But where is wisdom found?

13 * No human knows the way.*

14 Nor can it be discovered

in the deepest sea.

* 15 It is worth much more

than silver or pure gold

16 or precious stones.

17 Nothing is its equal—

not gold or costly glass.*

18 Wisdom is worth much more than

coral, jasper,* or rubies.

19 All the topaz* of Ethiopia*

and the finest gold

cannot compare with it.

20 Where then is wisdom?

21 It is hidden from human eyes

and even from birds.

22 Death and destruction

have merely heard rumors

about where it is found.

23 * God is the only one who knows

the way to wisdom;

24 he alone sees everything

beneath the heavens.

25 When God divided out

the wind and the water,

26 and when he decided the path

for rain and lightning,

27 * he also determined the truth

and defined wisdom.

28 * God told us, "Wisdom means

that you respect me, the Lord,

and turn from sin."