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Second Edition · Explore Scripture, one passage at a time.
28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. 28:2 Iron is taken from the ground, and rock is poured out as copper. 28:3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for the ore in the deepest darkness. 28:4 Far from where people live he sinks a shaft, in places travelers have long forgotten, far from other people he dangles and sways. 28:5 The earth, from which food comes, is overturned below as though by fire; 28:6 a place whose stones are sapphires that contain dust of gold; 28:7 a hidden path no bird of prey knows— no falcon’s eye has spotted it. 28:8 Proud beasts have not set foot on it, and no lion has passed along it. 28:9 On the flinty rock man has set to work with his hand; he has overturned mountains at their bases. 28:10 He has cut out channels through the rocks; his eyes have spotted every precious thing. 28:11 He has searched the sources of the rivers, and what was hidden he has brought into the light.
28:12 “But wisdom—where can it be found? Where is the place of understanding? 28:13 Mankind does not know its place; it cannot be found in the land of the living. 28:14 The deep says, ‘It is not with me.’ And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 28:15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. 28:16 It cannot be measured out for purchase with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires. 28:17 Neither gold nor crystal can be compared with it, nor can a vase of gold match its worth. 28:18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made; the price of wisdom is more than pearls. 28:19 The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be purchased with pure gold.
28:20 “But wisdom—where does it come from? Where is the place of understanding? 28:21 For it has been hidden from the eyes of every living creature, and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed. 28:22 Destruction and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’ 28:23 God understands the way to it, and he alone knows its place. 28:24 For he looks to the ends of the earth and observes everything under the heavens. 28:25 When he made the force of the wind and measured the waters with a gauge, 28:26 when he imposed a limit for the rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, 28:27 then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value; he established it and examined it closely. 28:28 And he said to mankind, ‘The fear of the Lord —that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
NET Bible Second Edition. Copyright 2017 Biblical Studies Press
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