12-19. “But where, oh where, will they find Wisdom?Where does Insight hide?Mortals don’t have a clue,haven’t the slightest idea where to look.Earth’s depths say, ‘It’s not here’;ocean deeps echo, ‘Never heard of it.’It can’t be bought with the finest gold;no amount of silver can get it.Even famous Ophir gold can’t buy it,not even diamonds and sapphires.Neither gold nor emeralds are comparable;extravagant jewelry can’t touch it.Pearl necklaces and ruby bracelets—why bother?None of this is even a down payment on Wisdom!Pile gold and African diamonds as high as you will,they can’t hold a candle to Wisdom.
20-22. “So where does Wisdom come from?And where does Insight live?It can’t be found by looking, no matterhow deep you dig, no matter how high you fly.If you search through the graveyard and question the dead,they say, ‘We’ve only heard rumors of it.’
23-28. “God alone knows the way to Wisdom,he knows the exact place to find it.He knows where everything is on earth,he sees everything under heaven.After he commanded the winds to blowand measured out the waters,Arranged for the rainand set off explosions of thunder and lightning,He focused on Wisdom,made sure it was all set and tested and ready.Then he addressed the human race: ‘Here it is!Fear-of-the-Lord—that’s Wisdom,and Insight means shunning evil.’”