| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1“Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. | 1“Surely 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 earth, and copper is smelted from ore. |
| 3Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death. | 3Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness. |
| 4He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro. | 4Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways. |
| 5As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; | 5Food may come from the earth, but from below it is transformed as by fire. |
| 6Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. | 6Its rocks are the source of sapphires, containing flecks of gold. |
| 7That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it. | 7No bird of prey knows that path; no falcon’s eye has seen it. |
| 8The proud lions have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. | 8Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it. |
| 9He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. | 9The miner strikes the flint; he overturns mountains at their base. |
| 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. | 10He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure. |
| 11He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light. | 11He stops up the sources of the streams to bring what is hidden to light. |
| 12“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? | 12But where can wisdom be found, and where does understanding dwell? |
| 13Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. | 13No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. |
| 14The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ | 14The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’ |
| 15It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. | 15It cannot be bought with gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. |
| 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire. | 16It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. |
| 17Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. | 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it. |
| 18No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. | 18Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. |
| 19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. | 19Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. |
| 20“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? | 20From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell? |
| 21It is hidden from the eyes of all living, 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 air. |
| 22Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ | 22Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor about it.’ |
| 23God understands its way, And He knows its place. | 23But God understands its way, and He knows its place. |
| 24For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, | 24For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. |
| 25To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. | 25When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters, |
| 26When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, | 26when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt, |
| 27Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. | 27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. |
| 28And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” | 28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ” |
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