The Wisdom of Agur

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

(A)Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom
Nor have (B)knowledge of the Holy One.

(C)Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
(D)Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

(E)Every word of God is [a]pure;
(F)He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
(G)Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
(H)Feed me with the food allotted to me;
(I)Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

10 Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its (J)father,
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation (K)that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh, how (L)lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are [b]lifted up.
14 (M)There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
(N)To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

15 The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16 (O)The[c] grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

17 (P)The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not 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 [d]midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

21 For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22 (Q)For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23 A [e]hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 (R)The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 (S)The [f]rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
28 The [g]spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

29 There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;
31 A [h]greyhound,
A male goat also,
And [i]a king whose troops are with him.

32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, (T)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:5 tested, refined, found pure
  2. Proverbs 30:13 In arrogance
  3. Proverbs 30:16 Or Sheol
  4. Proverbs 30:19 Lit. heart
  5. Proverbs 30:23 Or hated
  6. Proverbs 30:26 rock hyraxes
  7. Proverbs 30:28 Or lizard
  8. Proverbs 30:31 Or perhaps strutting rooster, lit. girded of waist
  9. Proverbs 30:31 A Jewish tradition a king against whom there is no uprising

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.

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]

The man declares, I am weary, O God;
    I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
Surely I am too (A)stupid to be a man.
    I have not the understanding of a man.
I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of (B)the Holy One.
Who has (C)ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has (D)gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has (E)wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all (F)the ends of the earth?
(G)What is his name, and what is his son's name?
    Surely you know!

(H)Every word of God proves true;
    he is (I)a shield to those who take refuge in him.
(J)Do not add to his words,
    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Two things I ask of you;
    deny them not to me (K)before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is (L)needful for me,
lest I be (M)full and (N)deny you
    and say, (O)“Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
    (P)and profane the name of my God.

10 (Q)Do not slander a servant to his master,
    (R)lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

11 There are those[c] who (S)curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are (T)clean in their own eyes
    but are not washed of their filth.
13 There are those—how (U)lofty are their eyes,
    how high their eyelids lift!
14 There are those whose teeth are (V)swords,
    whose (W)fangs are knives,
to (X)devour the poor from off the earth,
    the needy from among mankind.

15 The leech has two daughters:
    Give and Give.[d]
(Y)Three things are never satisfied;
    (Z)four never say, “Enough”:
16 (AA)Sheol, (AB)the barren womb,
    the land never satisfied with water,
    and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

17 The eye that (AC)mocks a father
    and (AD)scorns to obey a mother
will (AE)be picked out by (AF)the ravens of the valley
    and eaten by the vultures.

18 (AG)Three things are (AH)too wonderful for me;
    (AI)four 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 (AJ)three things (AK)the earth trembles;
    under (AL)four it cannot bear up:
22 (AM)a slave when he becomes king,
    and a fool when he is (AN)filled with food;
23 (AO)an unloved woman when she (AP)gets a husband,
    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

24 (AQ)Four things on earth are small,
    but they are exceedingly wise:
25 (AR)the ants are a people not strong,
    yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 (AS)the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 the locusts have no (AT)king,
    yet all of them march in (AU)rank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
    yet it is in kings' palaces.

29 (AV)Three things are stately in their tread;
    (AW)four are stately in their stride:
30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
    and (AX)does not turn back before any;
31 the (AY)strutting rooster,[e] the he-goat,
    and a king whose army is with him.[f]

32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
    or if you have been devising evil,
    (AZ)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curds,
    pressing the nose produces blood,
    and pressing anger produces strife.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa
  2. Proverbs 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal
  3. Proverbs 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14
  4. Proverbs 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry
  5. Proverbs 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins
  6. Proverbs 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement.

The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

I am certainly more (A)stupid than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of a man;
Nor have I learned wisdom,
Nor do I have the (B)knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has (C)ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the (D)wind in His fists?
Who has (E)wrapped the waters in [a]His garment?
Who has (F)established all the ends of the earth?
What is His (G)name or His [b]Son’s name?
Surely you know!

Every (H)word of God is [c]pure;
He is a (I)shield to those who take refuge in Him.
(J)Do not add to His words
Or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.

Two things I have asked of You;
Do not refuse me before I die:
Keep deception and [d]lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the (K)food that is my portion,
So that I will not be (L)full and deny (M)You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And that I will not become (N)impoverished and steal,
And (O)profane the name of my God.

10 Do not slander a slave to his master,
Or he will (P)curse you and you will be found guilty.

11 There is a [e]kind of person who (Q)curses his father
And does not bless his mother.
12 There is a [f]kind who is (R)pure in his own eyes,
Yet is not washed from his filthiness.
13 There is a [g]kind—oh how (S)lofty are his eyes!
And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.
14 There is a [h]kind of person whose (T)teeth are like swords
And his (U)jaw teeth like knives,
To (V)devour the poor from the earth
And the needy from among mankind.

15 The leech has two daughters:
“Give” and “Give.”
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, “Enough”:
16 [i](W)Sheol, the (X)infertile womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (Y)mocks a father
And [j](Z)scorns a mother,
The (AA)ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young (AB)eagles will eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:
19 The way of the (AC)eagle in the sky,
The way of a snake on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a [k]virgin.
20 This is the way of an (AD)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”

21 Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot endure:
22 Under a (AE)slave when he becomes king,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a female servant when she dispossesses her mistress.

24 Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The (AF)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The (AG)rock hyraxes are not a mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (AH)ranks;
28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:
30 The lion, which is (AI)mighty among animals
And does not [l](AJ)retreat from anything,
31 The [m]strutting rooster or the male goat,
And a king when his army is with him.

32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have plotted evil, (AK)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For the [n]churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose produces blood;
So the [o]churning of (AL)anger produces strife.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:4 Lit the
  2. Proverbs 30:4 Or son’s
  3. Proverbs 30:5 Lit refined
  4. Proverbs 30:8 Lit words of falsehood
  5. Proverbs 30:11 Or generation
  6. Proverbs 30:12 Or generation
  7. Proverbs 30:13 Or generation
  8. Proverbs 30:14 Or generation
  9. Proverbs 30:16 I.e., The netherworld
  10. Proverbs 30:17 Lit despises to obey
  11. Proverbs 30:19 Lit young unmarried woman
  12. Proverbs 30:30 Lit turn back
  13. Proverbs 30:31 Lit girt in the loins
  14. Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
  15. Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing