Old/New Testament
The Oracle of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.[a]
This man declares:
I am weary, God. I am weary, God, and worn out,[b]
2 because I am too unreasoning to be a man.
I do not even possess human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom.
I do not have knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the palms of his hands?
Who has wrapped the water in a garment?
Who has set up all the ends of the earth?
What is his name and the name of his son?
Tell me if you know!
5 Every word of God has been refined.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words.
If you do, he will correct you,
and you will be shown to be a liar.
7 Two things I have asked from you.
Do not keep them from me before I die:
8 Keep worthless speech and lies far from me.
Do not give me poverty or riches.
Give me food in the amount that is right for me.
9 Too much, and I may feel satisfied and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Too little, and I may become poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master.
If you do, he will curse you,
and you will be found guilty.
11 There is a type of person who curses his father
and does not bless his mother.
12 This person is pure in his own eyes,
but he is not washed from his filth.
13 This person—how lofty his eyes, how high his eyelids!
14 This person—his teeth are swords,
and his fangs are knives.
He uses them to devour oppressed people from the earth
and poor people from among humanity.
15 The leech has two daughters: Give! Give!
Three things are never satisfied.
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16 the grave,
a closed womb,
land that is never satisfied with water,
and fire that never says, “Enough!”
17 An eye that mocks its father
and despises the obedience due its mother—
ravens of the valley will peck it out,
and young vultures will eat it.
18 Three things are too wonderful for me,
and four I cannot 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 virgin.
20 This is the way of a woman who commits adultery:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
and she says, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
21 Three things make the earth tremble.
There are four things it cannot endure:
22 a servant when he becomes king,
an arrogant fool when he is filled with food,
23 a woman who is hated when she is married,
and a slave girl when she replaces her master’s wife.
24 Four things are small on the earth,
yet they are wiser than the wisest people:
25 Ants are a species without strength,
but they store their food in summer.
26 Rock badgers are a species without power,
but they make their home in a cliff.
27 Locusts have no king,
but they all march ahead in ranks.
28 Lizards can be caught in your hands,
but they live in kings’ palaces.
29 Three things strut impressively.
Four walk with dignity:
30 a lion, which is the mightiest among the animals,
does not turn away from anything,
31 a strutting rooster,[c]
a male goat,
and a king reviewing his troops.[d]
32 If you have acted like a fool by exalting yourself,
or if you have been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth,
33 because just as pressing milk produces cheese,[e]
and pressing a nose brings forth blood,
so pressing one’s anger produces a fight.
The Sayings of Lemuel
31 The words of Lemuel, a king.
An oracle[f] that his mother used, to teach him discipline:
2 What are you doing,[g] my son!
What are you doing, son from my womb!
What are you doing, son of my vows!
3 Do not give your strength to women.
Do not give your ways to those who destroy kings.
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
nor for rulers to crave beer.
5 If he does, he will drink and forget what is decreed.
He will change the legal rights of all the oppressed.
6 Give beer to someone who is perishing
and wine to one whose soul is bitter.
7 He will drink and forget his poverty,
and he will no longer remember his trouble.
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak.
Speak for the rights of all those who are defenseless.
9 Speak up, judge fairly,
and defend the oppressed and needy.
The Strong Wife[h]
10 Who can find a wife with strong character?[i]
Her value is greater than that of gems.
11 Her husband’s heart trusts her,
and he never lacks wealth.[j]
12 She does good for him and not evil
all the days of her life.
13 She obtains wool and flax.
She eagerly works it with her hands.
14 She is like merchant ships.
She brings her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night.
She gives food[k] to her household.
She gives their share to her female servants.
16 She considers a field and acquires it.
From her own income,[l] she plants a vineyard.
17 She wraps strength around her waist like a belt,
and she makes her arms strong.
18 She realizes that she makes a good profit.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands for the distaff,
and the palms of her hands grasp the spindle.[m]
20 She opens the palm of her hand to the oppressed,
and she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She does not fear for her household on account of snow,
because her entire household is clothed in scarlet clothing.[n]
22 She makes bedspreads for herself.
Fine linen and purple cloth are her clothing.
23 Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits with the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and she delivers belts to the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing,
and she laughs at the days to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and kind instruction is on her tongue.
27 She keeps a close eye on the conduct of her household,
and she does not eat bread that she did not work for.
28 Her children rise up and bless her.
Her husband rises up and praises her:
29 “Many daughters show strong character,
but you have surpassed all of them.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is vapor that vanishes,
but a woman who fears the Lord should be praised.
31 Give her credit for the fruit of her hands,
and let her accomplishments praise her in the city gates.
Bear With Me
11 I wish that you would be patient with me in regard to a little foolishness—but you are already being patient with me. 2 You see, I am jealous about you, with a godly jealousy, because I promised to present you as a pure virgin to one husband, Christ. 3 But I am afraid that somehow, just as the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning, so also your minds might be led astray from a sincere[a] and pure devotion to Christ. 4 In fact, if someone comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you accept a different spirit, which you did not accept before, or a different “gospel,” which you did not welcome before, you put up with it all too well. 5 I do not think that I am in any way inferior to the “super-apostles.” 6 But even if I am an amateur in speech, yet I am not an amateur in knowledge. No, in everything we have clearly demonstrated that to you in every way.
7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself, so that you would be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches, by receiving support from them to minister to you! 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I did not burden anyone, because when the brothers came from Macedonia, they supplied what I needed. In every way I kept myself from ever being a burden to you, and I will continue to do so. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting about me will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do. 12 But what I am doing, and will continue to do, is being done in order to cut off the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to boast that they should be considered equal to us.
13 In fact, such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 So it is no great surprise if his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their works.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.