This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,
    but I can prevail.^[a]
2 Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
    I do not have human understanding.
³ I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.^(B)
4 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!

⁵ “Every word of God is flawless;^(H)
    he is a shield^(I) to those who take refuge in him.
⁶ Do not add^(J) to his words,
    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

⁷ “Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.^(K)
9 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.”

² Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
    Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!^(AI)
3 Do not spend your strength^[c] on women,
    your vigor on those who ruin kings.^(AJ)

⁴ It is not for kings, Lemuel—
    it is not for kings to drink wine,^(AK)
    not for rulers to crave beer,
⁵ lest they drink^(AL) and forget what has been decreed,^(AM)
    and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
⁶ Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine^(AN) for those who are in anguish!
⁷ Let them drink^(AO) and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

⁸ Speak^(AP) up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.
⁹ Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.^(AQ)

⁴ Keep me safe,^(G) Lord, from the hands of the wicked;^(H)
    protect me from the violent,
    who devise ways to trip my feet.
⁵ The arrogant have hidden a snare^(I) for me;
    they have spread out the cords of their net^(J)
    and have set traps^(K) for me along my path.

⁶ I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”^(L)
    Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.^(M)
7 Sovereign Lord,^(N) my strong deliverer,
    you shield my head in the day of battle.
⁸ Do not grant the wicked^(O) their desires, Lord;
    do not let their plans succeed.

⁹ Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;
    may the mischief of their lips engulf them.^(P)
10 May burning coals fall on them;
    may they be thrown into the fire,^(Q)
    into miry pits, never to rise.
¹¹ May slanderers not be established in the land;
    may disaster hunt down the violent.^(R)

¹² I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor^(S)
    and upholds the cause^(T) of the needy.^(U)
13 Surely the righteous will praise your name,^(V)
    and the upright will live^(W) in your presence.^(X)

³ Set a guard over my mouth,^(AD) Lord;
    keep watch over the door of my lips.^(AE)
4 Do not let my heart^(AF) be drawn to what is evil
    so that I take part in wicked deeds^(AG)
along with those who are evildoers;
    do not let me eat their delicacies.^(AH)

⁵ Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me^(AI)—that is oil on my head.^(AJ)
My head will not refuse it,
    for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

⁶ Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,^(AK)
    and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
⁷ They will say, “As one plows^(AL) and breaks up the earth,^(AM)
    so our bones have been scattered at the mouth^(AN) of the grave.”

⁸ But my eyes are fixed^(AO) on you, Sovereign Lord;
    in you I take refuge^(AP)—do not give me over to death.
⁹ Keep me safe^(AQ) from the traps set by evildoers,^(AR)
    from the snares^(AS) they have laid for me.
¹⁰ Let the wicked fall^(AT) into their own nets,
    while I pass by in safety.^(AU)

³ When my spirit grows faint^(BA) within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
    people have hidden a snare for me.
⁴ Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
    no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;^(BB)
    no one cares^(BC) for my life.

⁵ I cry to you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,^(BD)
    my portion^(BE) in the land of the living.”^(BF)

⁶ Listen to my cry,^(BG)
    for I am in desperate need;^(BH)
rescue me^(BI) from those who pursue me,
    for they are too strong^(BJ) for me.
⁷ Set me free from my prison,^(BK)
    that I may praise your name.^(BL)
Then the righteous will gather about me
    because of your goodness to me.^(BM)