| Chapter 28 |
1 |
'Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine. --
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2 |
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted out of the ore. --
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3 |
Man sets an end to darkness, And searches out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness. --
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4 |
He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth. --
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5 |
As for the earth, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. --
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6 |
Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold. --
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7 |
That path no bird of prey knows, Neither has the falcon's eye seen it. --
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8 |
The proud animals have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed by there. --
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9 |
He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, And he overturns the mountains by the roots. --
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10 |
He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing. --
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11 |
He binds the streams that they don't trickle; The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light. --
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12 |
'But where shall wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding? --
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13 |
Man doesn't know its price; Neither is it found in the land of the living. --
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14 |
The deep says, 'It isn't in me.' The sea says, 'It isn't with me.' --
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15 |
It can't be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for its price. --
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16 |
It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire. --
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17 |
Gold and glass can't equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. --
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18 |
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies. --
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19 |
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold. --
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20 |
Whence then comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding? --
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21 |
Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the sky. --
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22 |
Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.' --
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23 |
'God understands its way, And he knows its place. --
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24 |
For he looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole sky. --
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25 |
He establishes the force of the wind; Yes, he measures out the waters by measure. --
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26 |
When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder; --
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27 |
Then did he see it, and declare it. He established it, yes, and searched it out. --
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28 |
To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'' --
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