⁹ for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,^(A)
    and our days on earth are but a shadow.^(B)

⁷ “Can you fathom^(A) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

⁸ They are higher^(A) than the heavens^(B) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below^(C)—what can you know?^(D)

¹² But the witless can no more become wise
    than a wild donkey’s colt^(A) can be born human.^[a](B)

¹² But where can wisdom be found?^(A)
    Where does understanding dwell?^(B)

¹³ No mortal comprehends its worth;^(A)
    it cannot be found in the land of the living.^(B)

²⁰ Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?^(A)

²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
    concealed even from the birds in the sky.^(A)

²⁶ How great is God—beyond our understanding!^(A)
    The number of his years is past finding out.^(B)