96 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
96 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
A Hymn to Wisdom
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# Chapter 28
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1. Surely there is a mine for silver
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and a place where gold is refined.
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2. Iron is taken from the ground,
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and copper is smelted from ore.
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3. A miner puts an end to the darkness;
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he probes the deepest recesses
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for ore in the gloomy darkness.
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4. He cuts a shaft far from human habitation,
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in places unknown to those who walk above ground.
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Suspended far away from people,
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the miners swing back and forth.
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5. Food may come from the earth,
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but below the surface the earth is transformed as by fire.
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6. Its rocks are a source of lapis lazuli,
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containing flecks of gold.
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7. No bird of prey knows that path;
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no falcon's eye has seen it.
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8. Proud beasts have never walked on it;
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no lion has ever prowled over it.
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9. The miner uses a flint tool
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and turns up ore from the root of the mountains.
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10. He cuts out channels in the rocks,
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and his eyes spot every treasure.
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11. He dams up the streams from flowing
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so that he may bring to light what is hidden.
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12. But where can wisdom be found,
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and where is understanding located?
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13. No one can know its value,
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since it cannot be found in the land of the living.
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14. The ocean depths say, "It's not in me,"
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while the sea declares, "I don't have it."
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15. Gold cannot be exchanged for it,
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and silver cannot be weighed out for its price.
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16. Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
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in precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
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17. Gold and glass do not compare with it,
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and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it.
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18. Coral and quartz are not worth mentioning.
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The price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
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19. Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,
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and it cannot be valued in pure gold.
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20. Where then does wisdom come from,
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and where is understanding located?
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21. It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
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and concealed from the birds of the sky.
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22. Abaddon and Death say,
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"We have heard news of it with our ears."
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23. But God understands the way to wisdom,
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and he knows its location.
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24. For he looks to the ends of the earth
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and sees everything under the heavens.
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25. When God fixed the weight of the wind
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and distributed the water by measure,
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26. when he established a limit for the rain
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and a path for the lightning,
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27. he considered wisdom and evaluated it;
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he established it and examined it.
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28. He said to mankind,
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"The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom.
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And to turn from evil is understanding."
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