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Wise Words from Agur

30 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh.

This is his message to Ithiel and Ucal:

“I am the most stupid person there is,
    and I have no understanding.
I have not learned to be wise,
    and I don’t know much about God, the Holy One.
Who has gone up to heaven and come back down?
    Who can hold the wind in his hand?
Who can gather up the waters in his coat?
    Who has set in place the ends of the earth?
What is his name or his son’s name?
    Tell me, if you know!

“Every word of God is true.
    He guards those who come to him for safety.
Do not add to his words,
    or he will correct you and prove you are a liar.

“I ask two things from you, Lord.
    Don’t refuse me before I die.
Keep me from lying and being dishonest.
    And don’t make me either rich or poor;
    just give me enough food for each day.
If I have too much, I might reject you
    and say, ‘I don’t know the Lord.’
If I am poor, I might steal
    and disgrace the name of my God.

10 “Do not say bad things about servants to their masters,
    or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it.

11 “Some people curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers.
12 Some people think they are pure,
    but they are not really free from evil.
13 Some people have such a proud look!
    They look down on others.
14 Some people have teeth like swords;
    their jaws seem full of knives.
They want to remove the poor from the earth
    and the needy from the land.

15 “Greed 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, the childless mother,
    the land that never gets enough rain,
    and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’

17 “If you make fun of your father
    and refuse to obey your mother,
the birds of the valley will peck out your eyes,
    and the vultures will eat them.

18 “There are three things that are too hard 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 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:
22 a servant who becomes a king,
    a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23 a hated woman who gets married,
    and a maid who replaces her mistress.

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 food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers are not very powerful,
    but they can live among the rocks.
27 Locusts have no king,
    but they all go forward in formation.
28 Lizards can be caught in the hand,
    but they are found even in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that strut proudly,
    really four that walk as if they were important:
30 a lion, the proudest animal,
    which is strong and runs 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 your mouth.
33 Just as stirring milk makes butter,
    and twisting noses makes them bleed,
    so stirring up anger causes trouble.”

Sayings of Agur

30 The sayings(A) of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,
    but I can prevail.[a]
Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
    I do not have human understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.(B)
Who has gone up(C) to heaven and come down?
    Whose hands(D) have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters(E) in a cloak?(F)
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name,(G) and what is the name of his son?
    Surely you know!

“Every word of God is flawless;(H)
    he is a shield(I) to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add(J) to his words,
    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.(K)
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown(L) you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’(M)
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.(N)

10 “Do not slander a servant to their master,
    or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

11 “There are those who curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers;(O)
12 those who are pure in their own eyes(P)
    and yet are not cleansed of their filth;(Q)
13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty,(R)
    whose glances are so disdainful;
14 those whose teeth(S) are swords
    and whose jaws are set with knives(T)
to devour(U) the poor(V) from the earth
    and the needy from among mankind.(W)

15 “The leech has two daughters.
    ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

“There are three things that are never satisfied,(X)
    four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16 the grave,(Y) the barren womb,
    land, which is never satisfied with water,
    and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

17 “The eye that mocks(Z) a father,
    that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
    will be eaten by the vultures.(AA)

18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me,
    four that I do not understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
    the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
    and the way of a man with a young woman.

20 “This is the way of an adulterous woman:
    She eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’(AB)

21 “Under three things the earth trembles,
    under four it cannot bear up:
22 a servant who becomes king,(AC)
    a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23 a contemptible woman who gets married,
    and a servant who displaces her mistress.

24 “Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;(AD)
26 hyraxes(AE) are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts(AF) have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
30 a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.[b]

32 “If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
    or if you plan evil,
    clap your hand over your mouth!(AG)
33 For as churning cream produces butter,
    and as twisting the nose produces blood,
    so stirring up anger produces strife.”

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:1 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:
  2. Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.