Chronological
The wise words of Agur
30 These are the words of Jakeh's son, Agur. It is an important message. The man says this to Ithiel:
God, I am weak and tired. I cannot continue to stand.
2 I feel more stupid than any other person. I do not understand things as other people do.
3 I have never learned wisdom. I do not know anything about God, the Holy One.
4 No one has gone up to heaven and then come back. No one has held the wind in his hands. No one has tied his coat around the seas. No one has fixed the borders of the earth. If anyone has done this, tell me his name. Tell me his son's name. Tell me, if you know.
5 Everything that God says is completely true. If you trust him, he will protect you like a soldier's shield.
6 Do not add anything to what God has said. If you do that, he will warn you. He will show that you are someone who tells lies.
7 God, I ask you to do two things for me. Please do them before I die:
8 Do not let me ever deceive people with lies.
Do not let me be too rich or too poor. Give me only as much food as I need each day.
9 If I have more than enough, I might say that I do not know you. I might say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
But if I am poor, I might rob people. That would insult my God's good name.
10 Do not say bad things about a servant to his master. If you do, the servant may curse you, and then you will be guilty.
11 There are some people who curse their fathers. They do not bless their mothers.
12 There are some people who think that they are perfect. But they are still dirty inside.
13 There are some people who are very proud. They look down on everyone else.
14 There are some people who are very cruel. Their teeth are like swords and sharp knives. They want to eat up all the poor and helpless people, so that they disappear from the earth.
15 A greedy leech has two daughters.[a] They are always saying, ‘Give me more!’
There are three things that never have enough for themselves, even four things:
16 The deep hole of death.
A wife who has no children.
Dry ground that needs rain.
A fire that burns strongly.
17 Punishment will come to anyone who insults his father, or who refuses to listen to his mother. Wild birds will pick out his eyes and vultures will eat his body.
18 There are three things that are too difficult for me to understand, even four things:
19 How an eagle flies high in the sky.
How a snake moves across a rock.
How a ship sails on the sea.
How a man starts to love a young woman.
20 A woman who is not faithful to her husband does this: When she has sex with another man, she thinks it is like a meal that she has eaten. Then she washes herself and she says, ‘I have not done anything wrong.’ That is something else that I cannot understand.
21 There are three things that make the earth shake, even four things:
22 A slave who becomes a king.
A fool who eats too much.
23 A woman that nobody loves who marries a husband.
A female servant who takes the place of the woman that she has served.
24 There are four things that live on the earth which are very small, but they are also very wise:
25 Ants are not very strong, but they prepare their food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers are weak animals, but they make their homes among the rocks.
27 Locusts have no king to lead them, but they all fly together as one.
28 Lizards are easy to catch with your hand, but you will see them in kings' palaces.
29 There are three things that seem great as they walk around, even four things:
30 Lions are the strongest of all animals, and they are not afraid of anything.
31 Cockerels that shout proudly.
Male goats.
A king who has his army with him.
32 You may be foolish and too proud of yourself. You may have ideas to do evil things. If that is true, stop yourself! Do not say a word! 33 If you beat milk for a long time, it will become butter. If you hit someone's nose, it will bleed. In the same way, if you make people angry, it will cause trouble.
Good advice to a king
31 These are the words that King Lemuel's mother said to him. It is an important message:[b]
2 Be careful, my dear son. God answered my prayers when I gave birth to you. Please listen carefully!
3 Do not chase after women and lose your strength. Women like that have destroyed kings.
4 Listen, Lemuel. Kings should not drink lots of wine. They should not want strong drink. 5 When kings drink alcohol, they forget to obey the law. They take away justice for helpless people.
6 Give strong drink to people who are dying. Give wine to people who are very upset. 7 Then they can forget how poor they are, or how sad they are.
8 Speak on behalf of people who cannot speak for themselves. Help helpless people to receive justice. 9 Speak clearly to help them. Judge people in a way that is fair and right. Help poor and helpless people to receive justice.
A poem about a good wife[c]
10 How difficult it is to find a wife who is truly wise! She is worth much more than valuable jewels.
11 Her husband trusts her to help him. He will have everything that he needs.
12 She does good things for him every day of her life. She never tries to hurt him.
13 She is happy to work with her own hands to make clothes with wool and linen.
14 She brings special food from far away, like a ship that travels across the sea.
15 She gets up while it is still night and she prepares food for her family. She also gives some to her female servants.
16 She looks carefully at a field, and she decides to buy it. She uses her own money to plant a vineyard.
17 She is strong and she always works hard.
18 She knows how to make money as she buys and sells things. Even at night, she is still working.
19 She knows how to make cloth.
20 She gives money to poor and helpless people.
21 All her family have warm clothes to wear. She is not afraid when cold weather comes.
22 She makes beautiful cloths to cover the beds. Her own clothes are made with valuable linen and purple cloth.
23 People in the city respect her husband. He meets with the other leaders at the city's gate.
24 She uses linen to make clothes and she sells them. She makes belts to sell to the traders.
25 She shows her strength and people respect her. She is not afraid of what will happen in the future.
26 When she speaks, she says wise words. She is kind as she teaches people what is right.
27 She always works hard and she takes care of her family.
28 Her children all agree to thank her. Her husband also praises her.
29 He says, ‘Many women are wise and they work well, but you are better than all of them.’
30 A woman may seem to be beautiful, but that can deceive people. Her body will not be beautiful for ever.
But a woman who respects the Lord with fear will receive honour.
31 Praise her for everything that she has done.
Everyone in the city should know about her, and they should praise her as she deserves.
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