30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4 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?
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 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.
30 These are the wise sayings of Agur son of Jakeh from Massa. He says, “God, I am tired, so tired. How can I keep going?” [ a ]
2 I am stupid. I am not as smart as other people are. 3 I have not learned to be wise. I know nothing about the Holy One. [ b ] 4 Who has ever gone up to heaven and come back down? Who gathered the winds in his hand? Who can gather up all the water in his lap? Who set the limits for the world? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Do you know?
5 You can trust this: Every word that God speaks is true. God is a safe place for those who go to him. 6 So don’t try to change what God says. If you do, he will punish you and prove that you are a liar.
7 God, I ask you to do two things for me before I die. 8 Don’t let me tell lies. And don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day. 9 If I have too much, I might deny that I need you, Lord . But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.
10 Never say bad things about a slave to his master. If you do, he will curse you, and you will suffer for it.
11 Some people curse their fathers and refuse to bless their mothers.
12 Some people think they are pure, but they have done nothing to remove the filth of their sin.
13 Some people are so proud of themselves, and they look down on everyone else.
14 There are people whose teeth are like swords and their jaws like knives. They take everything they can from the poor.
15 Greedy people know only two things [ c ] : “Give me,” and “Give me.” There are three other things that are never satisfied—really, four things that never have enough: 16 the place of death, a woman with no children, dry ground that needs rain, and a fire that will never stop by itself.
17 People who make fun of their father or refuse to obey their mother should have their eyes plucked out by wild birds and be eaten by vultures.
18 There are three things that are hard for me to understand—really, four things that I don’t understand: 19 an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship moving across the ocean, and a man in love with a woman.
20 A woman who is not faithful to her husband acts innocent. She eats, wipes her mouth, and says she has done nothing wrong.
21 There are three things that make trouble on the earth—really, four that the earth cannot bear: 22 a slave who becomes a king, fools who have everything they need, 23 a woman whose husband hated her but still married her, and a servant girl who becomes ruler over the woman she serves.
24 There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise:
25 Ants are small and weak, but they save their food all summer;
26 badgers are small animals, but they make their homes in the rocks;
27 locusts have no king, but they are able to work together;
28 lizards are small enough to catch with your hands, but you can find them living in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things that act important when they walk—really, there are four:
30 a lion—he is the warrior of the animals and runs from nothing,
31 a rooster walking proudly, [ d ]
a goat,
and a king among his people.
32 If you have been foolish enough to become proud and make plans against other people, stop and think about what you are doing.
33 Stirring milk causes butter to form. Hitting someone’s nose causes blood to flow. And making people angry causes trouble.
30 The words of Agur the son of [ a ] Jakeh; the [ b ] oracle.
The man saith [ c ] unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:
2 Surely I am more brutish than any man,
And have not the understanding of a man;
3 And I have not learned wisdom,
[ d ] Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended?
Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
Who hath bound the waters in his garment?
Who hath established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?
5 Every word of God is [ e ] tried:
He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words,
Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 Two things have I asked of thee;
Deny me them not before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with [ f ] the food that is needful for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee , and say, Who is Jehovah?
Or lest I be poor, and steal,
And [ g ] use profanely the name of my God.
10 Slander not a servant unto his master,
Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.
11 There is a generation that curse their father,
And bless not their mother.
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes,
And yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, oh 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 [ h ] horseleach hath two daughters, [ i ] crying , Give, give.
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Yea , four that say not, Enough:
16 Sheol; and the barren womb;
The earth that is not satisfied with water;
And the fire that saith not, Enough.
17 The eye that mocketh at his father,
And despiseth to obey his mother,
The ravens of [ j ] the valley shall pick it out,
And the [ k ] young eagles shall eat it.
18 There are 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 maiden.
20 So is the way of an adulterous woman;
She eateth, and wipeth her mouth,
And saith, I have done no wickedness.
21 [ l ] For three things the earth doth tremble,
And for four, which it cannot bear:
22 For a servant when he is king;
And a fool when he is filled with food;
23 For an odious woman when she is married;
And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24 There are four things which are little upon the earth,
But they are exceeding wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they provide their food 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 lizard [ m ] taketh hold with her hands,
Yet is she in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Yea, four which are stately in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among beasts,
And turneth not away for any;
31 The [ n ] greyhound; the he-goat also;
And the king [ o ] against whom there is no rising up.
32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,
Or if thou hast thought evil,
Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.
33 For the [ p ] churning of milk bringeth forth butter,
And the [ q ] wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;
So the [ r ] forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the revelation:
the man says to Ithiel,
to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 “Surely I am the most ignorant man,
and don’t have a man’s understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has bound the waters in his garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if you know?
5 “Every word of God is flawless.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Don’t you add to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.
7 “Two things I have asked of you.
Don’t deny me before I die.
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies.
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
10 “Don’t slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses their father,
and doesn’t bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes,
yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes!
Their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
and their jaws like knives,
to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.
15 “The leech has two daughters:
‘Give, give.’
“There are three things that are never satisfied;
four that don’t say, ‘Enough:’
16 Sheol, [ a ]
the barren womb,
the earth that is not satisfied with water,
and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough.’
17 “The eye that mocks at his father,
and scorns obedience to his mother:
the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
the young eagles shall eat it.
18 “There are three things which are too amazing for me,
four which I don’t understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the air,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 “So is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’
21 “For three things the earth trembles,
and under four, it can’t bear up:
22 For a servant when he is king,
a fool when he is filled with food,
23 for an unloved woman when she is married,
and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
24 “There are four things which are little on the earth,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are not a strong people,
yet they provide their food in the summer.
26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks.
27 The locusts have no king,
yet they advance in ranks.
28 You can catch a lizard with your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 “There are three things which are stately in their march,
four which are stately in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals,
and doesn’t turn away for any;
31 the greyhound;
the male goat;
and the king against whom there is no rising up.
32 “If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself,
or if you have thought evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
and the wringing of the nose produces blood;
so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
30 Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: -- I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.
2 For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.
3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.
4 Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou knowest!
5 Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him.
6 Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.
7 Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die.
8 Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,
9 Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, `Who [is] Jehovah?' And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God.
10 Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.
11 A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.
12 A generation -- pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.
13 A generation -- how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.
14 A generation -- swords [are] their teeth, And knives -- their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.
15 To the leech [are] two daughters, `Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said `Sufficiency;'
16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth -- it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire -- it hath not said, `Sufficiency,'
17 An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.
18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:
19 The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.
20 So -- the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.'
21 For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four -- it is not able to bear:
22 For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23 For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.
24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,
26 Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,
27 A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out -- each one shouting,
28 A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29 Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:
30 An old lion -- mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,
31 A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king -- no rising up with him.
32 If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil -- hand to mouth!
33 For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!
30 The words of Gatherer the son of Vomiter. The vision which the man spoke with whom God is, and who being strengthened by God, abiding with him, said:
2 I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
3 I have not learned wisdom, and have not known the science of saints.
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? who hath held the wind in his hands? who hath bound up the waters together as in a garment? who hath raised up all the borders of the earth? what is his name, and what is the name of his son, if thou knowest?
5 Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him.
6 Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved, and found a liar:
7 Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not to me before I die.
8 Remove far from me vanity, and lying words. Give me neither beggary, nor riches: give me only the necessaries of life:
9 Lest perhaps being filled, I should be tempted to deny, and say: Who is the Lord? or being compelled by poverty, I should steal, and forswear the name of my God.
10 Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou fall.
11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12 A generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 A generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high.
14 A generation, that for teeth hath swords, and grindeth with their jaw teeth, to devour the needy from off the earth, and the poor from among men.
15 The horseleech hath two daughters that say: Bring, bring. There are three things that never are satisfied, and the fourth never saith: It is enough.
16 Hell, and the mouth of the womb, and the earth which is not satisfied with water: and the fire never saith: It is enough.
17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.
18 Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of.
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 in youth.
20 Such is also the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
21 By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear:
22 By a slave when he reigneth: by a fool when he is filled with meat:
23 By an odious woman when she is married: and by a bondwoman when she is heir to her mistress.
24 There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
25 The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
26 The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock:
27 The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands.
28 The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth in kings' houses.
29 There are three things, which go well, and the fourth that walketh happily:
30 A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth:
31 A cock girded about the loins: and a ram: and a king, whom none can resist.
32 There is that hath appeared a fool after he was lifted up on high: for if he had understood, he would have laid his hand upon his mouth.
33 And he that strongly squeezeth the papa to bring out milk, straineth out butter: and he that violently bloweth his nose, bringeth out blood: and he that provoketh wrath bringeth forth strife.
