1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it . 2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. 3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. 4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men. 5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. 6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. 7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen: 8 The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. 9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. 11 He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. 12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. 15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. 22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. 23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. 26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: 27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. 28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
1 habet argentum venarum suarum principia
et auro locus est in quo conflatur
2 ferrum de terra tollitur et lapis solutus calore in aes vertitur
3 tempus posuit tenebris et universorum finem ipse considerat
lapidem quoque caliginis et umbram mortis
4 dividit torrens a populo peregrinante eos
quos oblitus est pes egentis hominum et invios
5 terra de qua oriebatur panis in loco suo igne subversa est
6 locus sapphyri lapides eius et glebae illius aurum
7 semitam ignoravit avis
nec intuitus est oculus vulturis
8 non calcaverunt eam filii institorum
nec pertransivit per eam leaena
9 ad silicem extendit manum suam subvertit a radicibus montes
10 in petris rivos excidit et omne pretiosum vidit oculus eius
11 profunda quoque fluviorum scrutatus est
et abscondita produxit in lucem
12 sapientia vero ubi invenitur
et quis est locus intellegentiae
13 nescit homo pretium eius
nec invenitur in terra suaviter viventium
14 abyssus dicit non est in me
et mare loquitur non est mecum
15 non dabitur aurum obrizum pro ea
nec adpendetur argentum in commutatione eius
16 non conferetur tinctis Indiae coloribus
nec lapidi sardonico pretiosissimo vel sapphyro
17 non adaequabitur ei aurum vel vitrum
nec commutabuntur pro ea vasa auri
18 excelsa et eminentia non memorabuntur conparatione eius
trahitur autem sapientia de occultis
19 non adaequabitur ei topazium
de Aethiopia
nec tincturae mundissimae conponetur
20 unde ergo sapientia veniet et quis est locus intellegentiae
21 abscondita est ab oculis omnium viventium
volucres quoque caeli latet
22 perditio et mors dixerunt auribus nostris audivimus famam eius
23 Deus intellegit viam eius et ipse novit locum illius
24 ipse enim fines mundi intuetur
et omnia quae sub caelo sunt respicit
25 qui fecit ventis pondus et aquas adpendit mensura
26 quando ponebat pluviis legem et viam procellis sonantibus
27 tunc vidit illam et enarravit et praeparavit et investigavit
28 et dixit homini ecce timor Domini ipsa est sapientia
et recedere a malo intellegentia