The Words of Agur
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.
2 Surely I am too astupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of athe Holy One.
4 Who has aascended to heaven and come down?
Who has bgathered the wind in his fists?
Who has cwrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all dthe ends of the earth?
eWhat is his name, and what is his son’s name?
Surely you know!
5 aEvery word of God proves true;
he is ba shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 aDo not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
7 Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me abefore I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is aneedful for me,
9 lest I be afull and bdeny you
and say, c“Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
dand profane the name of my God.
10 aDo not slander a servant to his master,
blest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 There are those who acurse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are aclean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
13 There are those—how alofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
14 There are those whose teeth are aswords,
whose bfangs are knives,
to cdevour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give.
aThree things are never satisfied;
afour never say, “Enough”:
16 aSheol, bthe barren womb,
the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that amocks a father
and bscorns to obey a mother
will cbe picked out by dthe ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
18 aThree things are btoo wonderful for me;
afour I do not understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a virgin.
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under athree things bthe earth trembles;
under afour it cannot bear up:
22 aa slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is bfilled with food;
23 aan unloved woman when she bgets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
24 aFour things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 athe ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 athe rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 the locusts have no aking,
yet all of them march in brank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 aThree things are stately in their tread;
afour are stately in their stride:
30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and adoes not turn back before any;
31 the astrutting rooster, the he‑goat,
and a king whose army is with him.
32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
aput your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife.