Read the Bible

¹ For there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.² Iron is taken out of the dust, and brass is molten out of the stone.³ Man setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out to the furthest bound the stones of thick darkness and of the shadow of death.⁴ He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot that passeth by; they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.⁵ As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.⁶ The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.⁷ That path no bird of prey knoweth, neither hath the falcon's eye seen it;⁸ The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor hath the lion passed thereby.⁹ He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.¹⁰ He cutteth out channels among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.¹¹ He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. ¹² But wisdom, where shall it 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 deep 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 Gold and glass cannot equal it; neither shall the exchange thereof be vessels of fine gold.¹⁸ No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; yea, 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 a rumor 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 When He maketh a weight for the wind, and meteth out the waters by measure.²⁶ When He made a decree for the rain, and a way for the storm of thunders;²⁷ Then did He see it, and declare it; He established 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.'