| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1“Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. | 1There 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. | 3Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest 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 dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; far from other people they dangle and sway. |
| 5As for the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire; | 5The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; |
| 6Its stones are the source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust. | 6lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. |
| 7That path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it. | 7No bird of prey knows that hidden 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 do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. |
| 9He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots. | 9People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains. |
| 10He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing. | 10They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures. |
| 11He dams up the streams from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light. | 11They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light. |
| 12“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? | 12But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? |
| 13Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. | 13No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be 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 deep says, "It is not in me"; the sea says, "It is not with me." |
| 15It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price. | 15It cannot be bought with the finest 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 bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. |
| 17Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold. | 17Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. |
| 18No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies. | 18Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. |
| 19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold. | 19The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. |
| 20“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? | 20Where then does wisdom come from? 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, concealed even from the birds in the sky. |
| 22Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’ | 22Destruction and Death say, "Only a rumor of it has reached our ears." |
| 23God understands its way, And He knows its place. | 23God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, |
| 24For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, | 24for he views 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 he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, |
| 26When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, | 26when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, |
| 27Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. | 27then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. |
| 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 the human race, "The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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