1901 American Standard Version (ASV)

1 There is a knowledge of natural things, 12 but wisdom is an excellent gift of God.

28:1 ¶ Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.

28:2 Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.

28:3 [Man] setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

28:4 He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; They are forgotten of the foot; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.

28:5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

28:6 The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.

28:7 That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it:

28:8 The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.

28:9 He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.

28:10 He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.

28:11 He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

28:13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living.

28:14 The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.

28:15 It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

28:16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

28:17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

28:18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

28:19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

28:20 Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?

28:21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens.

28:22 Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.

28:23 God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof.

28:24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;

28:25 To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.

28:26 When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;

28:27 Then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.

28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.