Man's Quest for Wisdom |
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Surely there is a vein for the silver,
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and a place for gold where they fine it. |
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| 2 |
Iron is taken out of the earth,
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and brass is molten out of the stone. |
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| 3 |
He setteth an end to darkness,
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and searcheth out all perfection: |
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the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. |
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| 4 |
The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant;
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even the waters forgotten of the foot: |
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they are dried up, they are gone away from men. |
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| 5 |
As for the earth, out of it cometh bread:
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and under it is turned up as it were fire. |
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| 6 |
The stones of it are the place of sapphires:
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and it hath dust of gold. |
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| 7 |
There is a path which no fowl knoweth,
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and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: |
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the lion's whelps have not trodden it,
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nor the fierce lion passed by it. |
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| 9 |
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock;
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he overturneth the mountains by the roots. |
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| 10 |
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks;
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and his eye seeth every precious thing. |
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| 11 |
He bindeth the floods from overflowing;
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and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. |
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| 12 |
But where shall wisdom be found?
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And where is the place of understanding? |
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| 13 |
Man knoweth not the price thereof;
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neither is it found in the land of the living. |
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| 14 |
The depth saith, It is not in me:
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and the sea saith, It is not with me. |
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| 15 |
It cannot be gotten for gold,
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neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. |
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| 16 |
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,
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with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. |
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| 17 |
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it:
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and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. |
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| 18 |
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls:
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for the price of wisdom is above rubies. |
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| 19 |
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,
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neither shall it be valued with pure gold. |
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| 20 |
Whence then cometh wisdom?
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And where is the place of understanding? |
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| 21 |
seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,
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and kept close from the fowls of the air. |
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| 22 |
Destruction and death say,
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We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. |
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| 23 |
God understandeth the way thereof,
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and he knoweth the place thereof. |
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| 24 |
For he looketh to the ends of the earth,
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and seeth under the whole heaven; |
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to make the weight for the winds;
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and he weigheth the waters by measure. |
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| 26 |
When he made a decree for the rain,
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and a way for the lightning of the thunder; |
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| 27 |
then did he see it, and declare it;
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he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. |
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| 28 |
And unto man he said,
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Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; Ps. 111.10 · Prov. 1.7 ; 9.10 |
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and to depart from evil is understanding. |
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