## Where Can Wisdom Be Found? 

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"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where they refine for gold. 

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Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. 

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_Man_ puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in thick darkness and shadow of death. 

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He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men. 

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The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is overturned as fire. 

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Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust _contains_ gold. 

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The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon's eye caught sight of it. 

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The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the _fierce_ lion passed over it. 

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He sends his hand forth to the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. 

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He breaks out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. 

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He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light. 

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"But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 

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Man does not know its worth, And it is not found in the land of the living. 

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The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.' 

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Pure gold cannot be given in place of it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. 

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It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. 

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Gold or glass cannot meet its worth, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. 

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Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of wisdom is above _that of_ pearls. 

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The topaz of Ethiopia cannot meet its worth, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. 

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Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 

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Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. 

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Abaddon and Death say, 'With our ears we have heard a report of it.' 

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"God understands its way, And He knows its place. 

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For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. 

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When He set weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure, 

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When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt, 

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Then He saw it and recounted it; He established it and also searched it out. 

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So He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to turn away from evil is understanding.'"