CHAPTER 28
1 Silver hath [the] beginning of his veins (or Silver hath the beginning of its veins); and a place is to gold, in which it is welled together.
2 Iron is taken from the earth, and a stone dissolved, or melted, by heat, is turned into money (or is turned into bronze).
3 God hath set (a) time to darknesses, and he beholdeth the end of all things. Also a strand parteth a stone of darkness, and the shadow of death, (God hath set an end for darkness, and he beholdeth the end of all things; a stone of darkness, and the shadow of death.)
4 from the people going in pilgrimage; it parteth those hills, which the foot of a needy man forgat, and hills without (a) way. (The stream departeth from the people going in pilgrimage; it parteth those hills, which the foot of the needy forgot, and the hills be without a way.)
5 The earth, whereof bread came forth in his place, is destroyed by fire. (Though bread came forth in its place, underneath the earth is destroyed by fire.)
6 The place of a sapphire be the stones thereof, and the clots thereof be gold. (Its stones be the place for sapphires, and its dust containeth gold.)
7 A bird knew not the way, and the eye of a vulture beheld it not.
8 The sons of merchants trode not upon that way, and a lioness passed not thereby. (The sons of a lion trod not on that way, and a lioness passed not by it.)
9 God stretched forth his hand to a flint; he destroyed [the] hills from the roots thereof. (God stretched forth his hand to the stones; he destroyed the mountains down to their roots.)
10 He hewed down rivers in stones (or He hewed out rivers among the stones); and his eye saw all precious thing/s.
11 And he sought out the depths/the deepness of (the) floods; and he brought forth hid things into light. (And he dammed up the sources of the rivers; and he brought forth hidden things into the light.)
12 But where is wisdom found, and which is the place of understanding? (But where is wisdom found, and where is the place of understanding?)
13 Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither it is found in the land of men living delicately. (Man knoweth not its price, or its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.)
14 The depth of (the) waters saith, It is not in me; and the sea speaketh, It is not with me.
15 Gold full clean shall not be given for wisdom, neither silver shall be weighed in the (ex)changing thereof. (Pure gold cannot purchase wisdom, or be exchanged for it, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.)
16 It shall not be comparisoned to the dyed colours of India (or It cannot be compared to the gold of Ophir), nor to the most precious stone sardius, neither to the sapphire.
17 Neither gold, neither glass shall be made even worth thereto; and high and far appearing vessels of gold shall not be (ex)changed for wisdom, (Neither gold, nor crystal, can be made equal in value to it; and high-priced and outstanding vessels of gold cannot be exchanged for wisdom,)
18 neither they shall be had in mind in comparison thereof. Forsooth wisdom is drawn out of privy things; (nor shall they even be considered when compared to it. For wisdom is drawn from private, or hidden, things;)
19 topaz of Ethiopia shall not be made even worth to wisdom (or the topaz of Ethiopia cannot be made equal in worth to wisdom), and most precious dyeings shall not be set together in price, or comparisoned, thereto.
20 Therefore whereof cometh wisdom, and which is the place of understanding? (And so from where cometh wisdom, and where is the place of understanding?)
21 It is hid from the eyes of all living men; and also it is hid from the birds of (the) heaven(s), or of the air.
22 Perdition and death said, With our ears we have heard (of) the fame of wisdom.
23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 For he beholdeth the ends of the world, and beholdeth all things that be under heaven.
25 He hath made weight to winds (or He hath made a counter-weight for the winds), and he hath weighed (the) waters in measure.
26 When he set law to rain, and way to tempests sounding; (When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the sounding tempests;)
27 then he saw wisdom, and told it out, and he made it ready, and sought it out.
28 And he said to man, Lo! the dread of the Lord, that is wisdom, (or And he said to man, Behold! the fear of the Lord or Behold! reverence for the Lord, that is wisdom); and to go away from evil, (that)is understanding.