- 1
- There is a place wher siluer is brought out of, and where golde is tryed,
- 2
- Where yron is digged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall.
- 3
- The darkenesse shall once come to an ende: he can seke out the grounde of all thinges, the stones, the darke, and the shadowe of death.
- 4
- He causeth the fluddes to breake out against the inhabitant, and the waters forgotten of the foote, beyng hygher then man, are gone away.
- 5
- Out of the same earth commeth bread, and vnder it as it were fire is turned vp.
- 6
- The stones of it are a place of Saphires, and the dust of it is golde.
- 7
- There is a way that the birdes knowe not, that no vultures eye hath seene:
- 8
- Wherin the lions whelpes walke not, and where no lion commeth.
- 9
- [There] putteth he his hande vpon the stonie rockes, and ouerthroweth the mountaynes by the rootes.
- 10
- Riuers flowe out of the rockes, & loke what is pleasaunt, his eye seeth it.
- 11
- He bindeth the fluddes that they do not ouerflow: and the thing that is hid bringeth he to light.
- 12
- Where then is wysdome founde?
and where is the place of vnderstanding?
- 13
- Ueryly no man can tell howe worthy a thing she is, neither is she found in the lande of them that lyue.
- 14
- The deepe sayth, She is not in me: the sea sayth, She is not with me.
- 15
- She can not be gotten for golde, neither may the price of her be bought with any siluer.
- 16
- No wedges of gold of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphires may be valued with her.
- 17
- No, neither golde nor christall shall be equall vnto it, nor her exchaunge shalbe for the plate of fine golde.
- 18
- No mention shalbe made of Corall nor of the Gabis: for wisdome is more precious then pearles.
- 19
- The Topas of Ethiopia shall not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure golde.
- 20
- Whence then commeth wysdome?
and where is the place of vnderstanding?
- 21
- She is hid from the eyes of all men liuing, yea & from the foules of the ayre.
- 22
- Destruction and death say, We haue hearde the fame therof with our eares.
- 23
- But God seeth her way, and knoweth her place.
- 24
- For he beholdeth the endes of the worlde, and loketh vpon all that is vnder heauen.
- 25
- When he wayed the windes and measured the waters:
- 26
- When he made a decree for the rayne, and a way for the lightninges of the thunder:
- 27
- Then dyd he see her, then declared he her, prepared her, and knewe her.
- 28
- And vnto man he sayd: To feare the Lorde is wysdome, and to forsake euyll is vnderstanding.
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