Expertise in mining

¹There is a sure source of silver,

a place where gold is refined.

²Iron is taken from the earth;

rock is smelted into copper.

³Humans put an end to darkness,[#28.3 Or they]

dig for ore to the farthest depths,

⁴open a shaft away from any inhabitant,

⁵Earth—from it comes food—

is turned over below ground as by fire.

⁶Its rocks are the source for lapis lazuli;

there is gold dust in it.

⁷A path—

no bird of prey knows it;

⁸proud beasts haven’t trodden on it;

⁹Humans thrust their hands into flint,

¹⁰cut channels into rocks;

¹¹They dam up the sources of rivers;

hidden things come to light.

Wisdom’s value

¹²But wisdom, where can it be found;

where is the place of understanding?

¹³Humankind doesn’t know its value;

it isn’t found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The Deep says, “It’s not with me”;[#28.14 Heb , a reference to a divine being in the grave or underworld]

the Sea says, “Not alongside me!”

¹⁵It can’t be bought with gold;

¹⁶can’t be weighed against gold from Ophir,

¹⁷Neither gold nor glass can compare with it;

she can’t be acquired with gold jewelry.

¹⁸Coral and jasper shouldn’t be mentioned;

the price of wisdom is more than rubies.

¹⁹Cushite topaz won’t compare with her;

she can’t be set alongside pure gold.

²⁰But wisdom, where does she come from?

Where is the place of understanding?

²¹She’s hidden from the eyes of all the living,

concealed from birds of the sky.

²²Destruction and Death have said,[#28.22 Heb Abaddon]

“We’ve heard a report of her.”

²³God understands her way;

²⁴for he looks to the ends of the earth

²⁵In order to weigh the wind,

²⁶when he made a decree for the rain,

²⁷then he observed it, spoke of it,

²⁸and said to humankind: “Look,