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28:1  “There are mines for silver and places where gold is refined.
28:2  Iron is extracted from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
28:3  Miners penetrate the darkness; they search to the farthest recesses to discover the ore hidden in gloom and shadow.
28:4  They open shafts in uninhabited places, swinging suspended, far away from anyone.
28:5  “While grain is coming forth from the earth above, what lies beneath is ravaged by fire.
28:6  Its rocks are the enclosure for sapphires, and there is gold contained in its dust.
28:7  No bird of prey knows the path there; the eye of a falcon has not seen it.
28:8  Proud beasts have not trodden it; no lion has ever passed over it.
28:9  “Man begins to assail the granite rock and overturns the mountains at their foundations.
28:10  He cuts channels into the rocks, and his eyes behold precious gems.
28:11  He explores the sources of the streams and brings hidden riches to light.
28:12  But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
28:13  “No one knows the way to it, nor is it to be found in the land of the living.
28:14  The abyss declares, ‘It is not in me.’ The sea says, ‘I do not have it.’
28:15  It cannot be purchased with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
28:16  “It cannot be acquired with the gold of Ophir, nor with precious onyx or sapphire.
28:17  Gold or crystal cannot be compared to it, nor can it be exchanged for vessels of gold.
28:18  Neither coral nor alabaster deserve to be mentioned; the price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
28:19  Topaz from Ethiopia is worthless in comparison to it, nor can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
28:20  “Where then is the source of wisdom? Where is intelligence to be found?
28:21  “It cannot be seen by the eye of any living creature; it is even concealed from the birds of the air.
28:22  Abaddon and the netherworld admit, ‘We have only heard rumors of it.’
28:23  “God alone understands the path to wisdom; he alone knows where it can be found.
28:24  For he can observe the farthest ends of the earth, and he sees everything under the heavens.
28:25  “When God regulated the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
28:26  when he imposed a limit for the rain and cleared a path for the thunderbolt,
28:27  then he saw wisdom and evaluated it, established it and assessed it completely.
28:28  And then he declared to man: ‘The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to turn from evil is understanding.’ ”