1<\/sup>Silver has its fissures where it is first found, and gold has a place where it is melted.<\/span> <\/p>\n 2<\/sup>Iron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brass.<\/span> <\/p>\n 3<\/sup>He has established a time for darkness, and he has settled on an end for all things, as well as for the stone that is in the gloom and shadow of death.<\/span> <\/p>\n 4<\/sup>The burning separates a pilgrim people from those who have been forgotten by the feet of the destitute man and from the unapproachable.<\/span> <\/p>\n 5<\/sup>The land, where bread appeared in its place, has been destroyed by fire.<\/span> <\/p>\n 6<\/sup>Its stones are embedded with sapphires, and its soil, with gold.<\/span> <\/p>\n 7<\/sup>The bird does not know its path, nor has the eye of the vulture beheld it.<\/span> <\/p>\n 8<\/sup>The sons of merchants have not walked there, nor has the lioness traveled through it.<\/span> <\/p>\n 9<\/sup>He has stretched out his hand to the rocks; he has overturned the foundations of the mountains.<\/span> <\/p>\n 10<\/sup>He has cut rivers through the rocks, and his eye has seen all precious things.<\/span> <\/p>\n 11<\/sup>The depths of rivers he has also examined, and he has brought hidden things into the light.<\/span> <\/p>\n 12<\/sup>But, in truth, where is wisdom to be found, and where is the place of understanding?<\/span> <\/p>\n 13<\/sup>Man does not know its price, nor is it found in the land of those who live in sweetness.<\/span> <\/p>\n 14<\/sup>The abyss declares, “It is not in me.” And the sea says, “It is not with me.”<\/span> <\/p>\n 15<\/sup>The finest gold will not be paid for it, nor will silver be weighed in exchange for it.<\/span> <\/p>\n 16<\/sup>It will not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the very costly stone sardonyx, nor with the sapphire.<\/span> <\/p>\n 17<\/sup>Neither gold nor crystal will be its equal; neither will vessels of gold be fitted for it.<\/span> <\/p>\n 18<\/sup>The exalted and the eminent will not be remembered in comparison with it. Yet wisdom is drawn out of concealment.<\/span> <\/p>\n 19<\/sup>The topaz of Ethiopia will not be equal to it, nor will it be compared to the purest dyes.<\/span> <\/p>\n 20<\/sup>So then, where does wisdom begin, and where is the place of understanding?<\/span> <\/p>\n 21<\/sup>It has been hidden from the eyes of all living things, just as the birds of the heavens escape notice.<\/span> <\/p>\n 22<\/sup>Perdition and death have said, “With our ears, we have heard its fame.”<\/span> <\/p>\n 23<\/sup>God understands its way, and he knows its location.<\/span> <\/p>\n 24<\/sup>For he beholds the limits of the world, and he looks upon all things that are under heaven.<\/span> <\/p>\n 25<\/sup>He created a counterweight for the winds, and he suspended the waters to measure them.<\/span> <\/p>\n 26<\/sup>At that time, he gave a law to the rain and a path to the resounding storms.<\/span> <\/p>\n 27<\/sup>Then he saw and explained it, and he made ready and examined it.<\/span> <\/p>\n 28<\/sup>And he said to man, “Behold the fear of the Lord. Such is wisdom. And to withdraw from evil, this is understanding.”<\/span> <\/p>\n