Old/New Testament

The Wisdom of Agur

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh of Massa. The man says to Ithiel and Ucal:

² For sure, I am more foolish than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man. ³ I have not learned wisdom, and I do not know much about the Holy One. ⁴ Who has gone up into heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has gathered the waters in His coat? Who has put in place all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name? For sure you know!

⁵ Every word of God has been proven true. He is a safe-covering to those who trust in Him. ⁶ Do not add to His words, or He will speak strong words to you and prove you to be a liar.

⁷ Two things I have asked of You. Do not keep me from having them before I die: ⁸ Take lies and what is false far from me. Do not let me be poor or rich. Feed me with the food that I need. ⁹ Then I will not be afraid that I will be full and turn my back against You and say, “Who is the Lord?” And I will not be afraid that I will be poor and steal, and bring shame on the name of my God.

¹⁰ Do not speak against a slave while talking with his owner, or he may curse you and you will be found guilty.

¹¹ There are those who curse their fathers, and do not honor their mothers. ¹² There are people who are pure in their own eyes, but are not washed from their own dirt. ¹³ There is a kind, O, how proud are his eyes! His eyes are opened wide with pride. ¹⁴ There is a kind of man whose teeth are swords, whose jaws are like knives, who eat up those who are suffering from the earth, and those in need from among men.

¹⁵ The one who lives by the blood of another has two daughters, “Give,” “Give.” There are three things that are never filled, four that never say, “Enough”: ¹⁶ The place of the dead, the woman who cannot have children, the earth that is always thirsty for water, and fire that never says, “Enough.”

¹⁷ The eye that makes fun of a father and hates to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the young eagles.

¹⁸ There are three things which are too great for me, four which 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 out at sea, and the way of a man with a woman.

²⁰ This is the way of a woman who is not faithful in marriage: She eats and washes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wrong.”

²¹ Under three things the earth shakes, and under four it cannot stand: ²² Under a servant when he becomes king, under a fool when he is filled with food, ²³ under a woman who is not loved when she gets a husband, and under a woman servant when she takes the place of the woman of the house.

²⁴ There are four things that are small on the earth, but they are very wise: ²⁵ The ants are not a strong people, but they store up their food in the summer. ²⁶ The badgers are not a strong people, but they make their houses in the rocks. ²⁷ The locusts have no king, but they go as an army. ²⁸ You can take the lizard in your hands, but it is found in kings’ houses.

²⁹ There are three things which have honor in their steps, even four which show honor in their walk: ³⁰ The lion, which is powerful among wild animals and does not turn away from any, ³¹ the proud rooster, the male goat, and a king when his army is with him.

³² If you have been foolish in honoring yourself, or if you have planned wrong-doing, put your hand on your mouth. ³³ Shaking milk makes butter, and hitting the nose brings blood. So fighting comes because of anger.

The Wisdom of King Lemuel’s Mother

31 The words of Lemuel king of Massa, which his mother taught him:

² What, my son? What, son who came from within me? What, son of my promises? ³ Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which destroys kings. ⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink. ⁵ Or they might drink and forget the law, and go against the rights of all who are suffering. ⁶ Give strong drink to him who is about to die, and wine to him whose life is full of trouble. ⁷ Let him drink and forget how poor he is, and remember his trouble no more. ⁸ Open your mouth for those who cannot speak, and for the rights of those who are left without help. ⁹ Open your mouth. Be right and fair in what you decide. Stand up for the rights of those who are suffering and in need.

¹⁰ Who can find a good wife? For she is worth far more than rubies that make one rich. ¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will never stop getting good things. ¹² She does him good and not bad all the days of her life. ¹³ She looks for wool and flax, and works with willing hands. ¹⁴ She is like ships that trade. She brings her food from far away. ¹⁵ She rises while it is still night and makes food for all those in her house. She gives work for the young women to do. ¹⁶ She gives careful thought to a field and buys it. She plants grape-vines from what she has earned. ¹⁷ She makes herself ready with strength, and makes her arms strong. ¹⁸ She sees that what she has earned is good. Her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ She puts her hands to the wheel to make cloth. ²⁰ She opens her hand to the poor, and holds out her hands to those in need. ²¹ She is not afraid of the snow for those in her house, for all of them are dressed in red. ²² She makes coverings for herself. Her clothes are linen cloth and purple. ²³ Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the leaders of the land. ²⁴ She makes linen clothes and sells them. She brings belts to those who trade. ²⁵ Her clothes are strength and honor. She is full of joy about the future. ²⁶ She

opens her mouth with wisdom. The teaching of kindness is on her tongue. ²⁷ She looks well to the ways of those in her house, and does not eat the bread of doing nothing. ²⁸ Her children rise up and honor her. Her husband does also, and he praises her, saying: ²⁹ “Many daughters have done well, but you have done better than all of them.” ³⁰ Pleasing ways lie and beauty comes to nothing, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. ³¹ Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Paul—the True Missionary

11 I wish you would listen to a little foolish talk from me. Now listen. ² I am jealous for you with a God-like jealousy. I have given you, as a woman who has never had a man, to one Husband, Who is Christ. ³ Eve was fooled by the snake in the garden of Eden. In the same way, I am afraid that you will be fooled and led away from your pure love for Christ. ⁴ You listen when someone comes and preaches a different Jesus than the One we preached. You believe what you hear about a different spirit and different good news than that which we preached.

⁵ I do not think I am less than those special missionaries who are coming to you. ⁶ Even if it is hard for me to speak, I know what I am talking about. You know this by now. ⁷ Did I do wrong? I did not ask you for anything when I preached the Good News to you. I made myself poor so you would be made rich. ⁸ I did take money from other churches. I used it while I worked with you so you would not have to pay me. ⁹ Some of the time I had no money when I was with you. But I did not ask you for money. The Christians from the country of Macedonia brought me what I needed. I did not ask you and I will not ask you for anything. ¹⁰ As sure as the truth of Christ is in me, I will not stop telling those in the country of Greece that I am proud of this. ¹¹ Does it mean I do not love you? God knows I do.

¹² What I am doing now, I will keep on doing. I will do it to stop those who say they work as we do. ¹³ Those men are false missionaries. They lie about their work. But they make themselves look like true missionaries of Christ. ¹⁴ It is no surprise! The devil makes himself look like an angel of light. ¹⁵ And so it is no surprise if his servants also make themselves look like preachers of the Good News. They and their work will come to the same end.