| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. | 1Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. |
| 2Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. | 2Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore. |
| 3Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness. | 3A miner puts an end to the darkness; he probes the deepest recesses for ore in the gloomy darkness. |
| 4Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways. | 4He cuts a shaft far from human habitation, in places unknown to those who walk above ground. Suspended far away from people, the miners swing back and forth. |
| 5Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire. | 5Food may come from the earth, but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire. |
| 6Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold. | 6Its rocks are a source of sapphire, containing flecks of gold. |
| 7No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it. | 7No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon's eye has seen it. |
| 8Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it. | 8Proud beasts have never walked on it; no lion has ever prowled over it. |
| 9The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base. | 9The miner strikes the flint and transforms the mountains at their foundations. |
| 10He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure. | 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure. |
| 11He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light. | 11He dams up the streams from flowing so that he may bring to light what is hidden. |
| 12But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell? | 12But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located? |
| 13No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. | 13No man can know its value, since it cannot be found in the land of the living. |
| 14The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’ | 14The ocean depths say, "It's not in me," while the sea declares, "I don't have it." |
| 15It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. | 15Gold cannot be exchanged for it, and silver cannot be weighed out for its price. |
| 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. | 16Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. |
| 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it. | 17Gold and glass do not compare with it, and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it. |
| 18Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. | 18Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning. The price of wisdom is beyond pearls. |
| 19Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. | 19Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it, and it cannot be valued in pure gold. |
| 20From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell? | 20Where then does wisdom come from, and where is understanding located? |
| 21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the air. | 21It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the sky. |
| 22Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’ | 22Abaddon and Death say, "We have heard news of it with our ears." |
| 23But God understands its way, and He knows its place. | 23But God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its location. |
| 24For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. | 24For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters, | 25When God fixed the weight of the wind and limited the water by measure, |
| 26when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt, | 26when He established a limit for the rain and a path for the lightning, |
| 27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. | 27He considered wisdom and evaluated it; He established it and examined it. |
| 28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ” | 28He said to mankind, "The fear of the Lord is this: wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding." |
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