Chapter 28 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they
find it.
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection.
The stones of darkness and the shadow of death.
The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant, even the waters forgotten of
the foot.
They are dried up, they are gone away from men.
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, and under it is turned up as it were fire.
The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.
There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen.
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock, he overturneth the mountains by the roots,
he cutteth out rivers among the rocks, and his eye seeth every precious thing.
He bindeth the floods from overflowing, and the thing that is hid bringeth he
forth to light.
But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of the
living.
The depth sayeth, It is not in me, and the sea sayeth, It is not with me.
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price
thereof.
It cannot be valued with the gold of ophir, with the precious onyx or the
sapphire.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for
jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls, for the price of wisdom is above
rubies.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Whence then cometh wisdom?
And where is the place of understanding?
Seen it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of
the air.
Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth unto the whole heaven,
to make the weight for the winds, and he weigheth the waters by measure.
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the
thunder, then did he see it and declare it.
He prepared it, yea, and searched it out, and unto man he said, Behold the fear of
the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.