20 Where then does wisdom come from,
and where is understanding located?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 Abaddon and Death(A) say,
“We have heard news of it with our ears.”
23 But God understands the way to wisdom,
and he knows its location.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When God fixed the weight of the wind
and distributed the water by measure,(B)
26 when he established a limit[a] for the rain(C)
and a path for the lightning,
27 he considered wisdom and evaluated it;
he established it and examined it.
28 He said to mankind,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom.
And to turn from evil is understanding.”(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 28:26 Or decree

20 “Where then does wisdom come from?
    And where is the place of understanding?(A)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
    ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’(B)

23 “God understands the way to it,
    and he knows its place.(C)
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.(D)
25 When he gave to the wind its weight
    and apportioned out the waters by measure,(E)
26 when he made a decree for the rain,
    and a way for the thunderbolt,(F)
27 then he saw it and declared it;
    he established it and searched it out.
28 And he said to humankind,
‘Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
    and to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”(G)

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