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Wise Words from Agur

30 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh [C an otherwise unknown wise man].

·This is his message to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [or The utterance of the man, “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and I am exhausted; C unclear whether these are proper names or verbs]:
“I am ·the most stupid person there is [a dullard/brute more than a human; Ps. 73:22],
    and I have no understanding.
I have not learned to be wise,
    and I don’t know much about ·God, the Holy One [or the holy ones; C a reference to angels].
Who has gone up to heaven and come back down [John 3:12–13]?
    Who can hold the wind ·in his hand [or by the handful; Gen. 8:1; Ex. 10:13; 15:10; Num. 11:31; Amos 4:13]?
Who can gather up the waters in his coat [Job 26:8]?
    Who has set in place the ends of the earth [8:27–29]?
What is his name or his son’s name?
    Tell me, if you know!

“Every word of God ·is true [passes the test; L is refined; 2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30].
    ·He guards those [L They are a shield to those] who come to him for ·safety [refuge].
Do not add to his words [Deut. 4:2; 12:32],
    or he will correct you and prove you are a liar.

“I ask two things from you, Lord.
    Don’t ·refuse [withhold them from] me before I die.
Keep me from lying and ·being dishonest [fraud].
    And don’t make me either rich or poor;
    just give me enough food for each day [Matt. 6:11; 1 Tim. 6:8].
If I ·have too much [am sated/satisfied], I might ·reject [deny] you
    and say, ‘·I don’t know the Lord [L Who is the Lord?]
If I am poor, I might steal
    and ·disgrace [profane] the name of my God.

10 “Do not ·say bad things about [slander] servants to their masters,
or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it [Eccl. 7:21–22].

11 “Some people curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers [Ex. 20:12; 21:17].
12 Some people think they are pure,
    but they ·are not really free from evil [L have not cleaned off their own excrement; Deut. 23:12–14].
13 Some people have such ·a proud look [haughty eyes]!
    They ·look down on others [L raise their eyebrows; Ps. 131].
14 Some people have teeth like swords;
    their jaws ·seem full of knives [are a butcher’s knife; C their words hurt people].
They want to ·remove [L consume] the poor from the earth
    and the needy from the ·land [or humanity].

15 “·Greed [L The leech] has two daughters
    named ‘Give’ and ‘Give.’
There are three things that are never satisfied,
    really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’:
16 the ·cemetery [grave; Sheol], the ·childless mother [L barren womb],
    the land that never gets enough rain,
and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’

17 “·If you make fun of your [L An eye that ridicules one’s] father
    and ·refuse to obey your [L despises the teaching of one’s] mother,
the ·birds [L ravens] of the ·valley [wadi] will peck out your eyes,
    and the ·vultures [or young eagles] will eat them.

18 “There are three things that are too ·hard [wonderful] for me,
    really four I don’t understand:
19 the way an eagle flies in the sky,
    the way a snake slides over a rock,
the way a ship sails on the sea,
    and the way a man and a woman ·fall in [or make] love.

20 “This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery:
    She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face;
she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’

21 “There are three things that make the earth tremble,
    really four it cannot ·stand [bear]:
22 a servant who becomes a king [Eccl. 10:5–7],
    a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23 a ·hated [unloved] woman who gets married,
    and a maid who ·replaces [displaces; succeeds] her mistress [Gen. 16:4].

24 “There are four things on earth that are small,
    but they are very wise:
25 Ants are not very strong,
    but they ·store up [have] food in the summer.
26 ·Rock badgers [or Coneys] are not very powerful,
    but they can live among the ·rocks [crags].
27 Locusts have no king,
    but they ·all go forward in formation [advance together in ranks].
28 Lizards can be caught in the hand,
    but they are found even in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that ·strut proudly [L are excellent in gait],
    really four that ·walk as if they were important [L are excellent as they walk]:
30 a lion, ·the proudest animal [or a warrior among beasts],
    which ·is strong and runs from nothing [backs down from nothing],
31 a rooster, a male goat,
    and a king when his army is around him.

32 “If you have been foolish and proud,
    or if you have planned evil, ·shut [L put your hand to] your mouth [Job 40:2].
33 Just as ·stirring [L pressing] milk makes ·butter [curds],
    and ·twisting [L pressing] noses makes ·them bleed [blood],
so ·stirring up [L pressing] anger ·causes trouble [leads to accusations].”

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.

20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:

30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.