Old/New Testament

He says, “I am weary, God.
    I am weary and spent, O God.”^[a]
2 Certainly I am a stupid man, as dumb as an ox.
    I don’t understand the way that most people do.
³ I have never learned wisdom,
    and I have no knowledge at all of the Holy One.
⁴ Who has ascended into the heavens and then come back down?
    Who has collected the winds in the palm of His hand?
Who has wrapped up the vast oceans in His coat?
    Who has plotted the ends of the earth and then fashioned them?
What is His name?
    What is His son’s name?
    Do you know? Indeed, you do.

⁵ Every word of God will be put to the test and proven true;
    He is a defense for those who trust in Him.
⁶ Take care. Add nothing to what He has said;
    for if you do, He will correct you and expose you as a liar.

⁷ Two things I ask, O God.
    Sometime before I die, grant these humble requests:
⁸ Eliminate any hint of worthless and deceitful words from my lips.
    Do not make me poor or rich,
    but give me each day what I need;
⁹ For if I have too much, I might forget You are the One who provides,
    saying, “Who is the Eternal One?”
Or if I do not have enough, I might become hungry and turn to stealing
    and thus dishonor the good name of my God.

¹⁰ Never run down a servant to his master
    because the slave might curse you and you would suffer as a result.

¹¹ There is a kind of person who curses his father
    and pronounces no blessing upon his mother;
¹² A kind of person who is without fault in his own estimation
    but has not been scrubbed clean of his own sordidness;
¹³ A kind whose look is too haughty,
    whose eyebrows arch as he looks down on others;
¹⁴ A kind whose very teeth cut like swords
    and whose jaws sever like knives,
All the better to consume the poor of the earth
    and the oppressed among men.

¹⁵ The leech has twin suckers;
    “More blood! More blood,” they demand.
Three other things are just as insatiable,
    no, make it four that never say, “Enough”:
¹⁶ The grave, the childless woman who cannot bear,
    the parched earth that cries for rain,
    and the fire, which never says, “Enough!”

¹⁷ One who derides his father
    and fails to honor his mother in old age
Will die in contempt: his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
    and eaten by the young vultures when his unburied body lies on the trash heap.

¹⁸ There are three mysteries I find absolutely amazing,
    no, make it four I cannot comprehend:
¹⁹ The way an eagle flies through the sky,
    the way a snake moves over a rock,
The way a boat glides through the middle of the sea,
    and the way a man becomes one with his virgin wife.

²⁰ An adulterous woman is so cavalier by nature.
    When she’s done, it is as if she washed after eating
    and then says, “I have done nothing wrong.”

²¹ Three situations disturb the earth,
    no, make it four that it cannot endure:
²² When a slave is elevated to king,
    when a fool is full of fine food,
²³ When a hated woman finally marries,
    and when a serving girl takes possession of her mistress’s wealth.

²⁴ There are four creatures on earth that are small,
    but they are very wise and we can learn from them:
²⁵ While ants are hardly a strong species,
    they work constantly to store up food during the summer;
²⁶ While badgers are animals without many defenses,
    they are wise enough to make their homes in the rocky cliffs;
²⁷ While locusts live without a ruler,
    they all know how to move in formation;
²⁸ While a lizard is easy enough to catch in your hand,
    it is shrewd enough to enter the palaces of kings.

²⁹ There are three creatures with majesty in their stride,
    no, make it four that move with grace:
³⁰ The lion, which is the strongest of the animals,
    does not back down from any other creature;
³¹ The strutting rooster, the male goat,
    and a king as he goes out with his army.^[b]

³² If you have been foolish enough to insinuate yourself in some high position
    or if you have concocted some sort of evil plan,
    clamp your hand tightly over your mouth;
³³ For pressing down milk makes butter,
    pressing your nose makes it bleed,
    and pressing anger makes trouble.

² Mother: What shall I say to you, my son? What wisdom can I impart, child of my womb?
        What insight can I share, son of my vows?
³     Do not waste your strength on women
        or invest yourself in women who would destroy even kings.
⁴     Take care, my son, O Lemuel.
        Kings should not drink too much wine
        or rulers should not crave strong drink;
⁵     For if they do, they will become drunk and forget the decree they just made
        and alter the course of justice for all the poor and afflicted.
⁶     Rather, give liquor to one who is dying,
        and offer wine to those struggling with life’s harsh realities.
⁷     Let such a one drink and forget what he is missing;
        then perhaps he won’t remember his sorrows anymore.
⁸     Speak out on behalf of those who have no voice,
        and defend all those who have been passed over.
⁹     Open your mouth, judge fairly,
        and stand up for the rights of the afflicted and the poor.

¹⁰ Who can find a truly excellent woman? One who is superior in all that she is and all that she does?
    Her worth far exceeds that of rubies and expensive jewelry.
¹¹ She inspires trust, and her husband’s heart is safe with her,
    and because of her, he has every good thing.
¹² Every day of her life she does what is best for him,
    never anything harmful or hurtful.
¹³ Delight attends her work and guides her fingers
    as she selects the finest wool and flax for spinning.
¹⁴ She moves through the market like merchant ships
    that dock here and there in distant ports,
    finally arriving home with food she’s carried from afar.
¹⁵ She rises from bed early, in the still of night,
    carefully preparing food for her family
    and providing a portion to her servants.
¹⁶ She has a plan. She considers some land and buys it;
    then with her earnings, she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She wraps herself in strength, carries herself with confidence,
    and works hard, strengthening her arms for the task at hand.
¹⁸ She tastes success and knows it is good,
    and under lamplight she works deep into the night.
¹⁹ Her hands skillfully place the unspun flax and wool on the distaff,
    and her fingers twist the spindle until thread forms.
²⁰ She reaches out to the poor
    and extends mercy to those in need.
²¹ She is not worried about the cold or snow for her family,
    for she has clothed them all in warm, crimson coats.
²² She makes her own bed linens
    and clothes herself in purple and fine cloth.
²³ Everyone recognizes her husband in the public square,
    and no one fails to respect him as he takes his place of leadership in the community.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them in the market,
    and she supplies belts for tradesmen to carry across the sea.
²⁵ Clothed in strength and dignity, with nothing to fear,
    she smiles when she thinks about the future.
²⁶ She conducts her conversations with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is ever her concern.
²⁷ She directs the activities of her household,
    and never does she indulge in laziness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and bless her.
    Her husband, too, joins in the praise, saying:
²⁹ “There are some—indeed many—women who do well in every way,
    but of all of them only you are truly excellent.”
³⁰ Charm can be deceptive and physical beauty will not last,
    but a woman who reveres the Eternal should be praised above all others.
³¹ Celebrate all she has achieved.
    Let all her accomplishments publicly praise her.^[c]