Read the Bible

¹ "Surely there is a mine for silver,
    and a place for gold that they ^(a)refine.
² Iron is taken out of the earth,
    and copper is smelted from the ore.
³ Man puts an end to darkness
    and searches out to the farthest limit
    the ore in ^(b)gloom and ^(c)deep darkness.
⁴ He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
    they are forgotten by travelers;
    they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
⁵ As for the earth, ^(d)out of it comes bread,
    but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
⁶ Its stones are the place of ^(e)sapphires,^[a]
    and it has dust of gold.

⁷ "That path no bird of prey knows,
    and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
^8 (f)The proud beasts have not trodden it;
    ^(g)the lion has not passed over it.

⁹ "Man puts his hand to ^(h)the flinty rock
    and overturns mountains by the roots.
¹⁰ He cuts out channels in the rocks,
    and his eye sees every precious thing.
¹¹ He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
    and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

^12 (i)"But where shall wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?
¹³ Man does not know its worth,
    and it is not found in ^(j)the land of the living.
^14 (k)The deep says, ‘It is not in me,'
    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.'
¹⁵ It ^(l)cannot be bought for gold,
    and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
¹⁶ It cannot be valued in ^(m)the gold of ⁽ⁿ⁾Ophir,
    in precious ^(o)onyx or ^(p)sapphire.
¹⁷ Gold and glass cannot equal it,
    nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
¹⁸ No mention shall be made of ^(q)coral or of crystal;
    the price of wisdom is above ^(r)(s)pearls.
^19 (t)The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
    nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰ "From where, then, does wisdom come?
    And where is the place of understanding?
²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of ^(u)all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
^22 (v)Abaddon and Death say,
    ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'

^23 (w)"God understands the way to it,
    and he knows its place.
²⁴ For he ^(x)looks to the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ When he ^(y)gave to the wind its weight
    and apportioned the waters by measure,
²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain
    and ^(z)a way for the lightning of the thunder,
²⁷ then he saw it and declared it;
    he established it, and searched it out.
²⁸ And he said to man,
‘Behold, ^(aa)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
    and to ^(ab)turn away from evil is understanding.'"