Proverbs of Solomon 30 The Words of Agur

 Proverbs of Solomon 30

The Words of Agur

1 The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, the oracle. This man said to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

2 Surely I am more brutish than anyone; I have no understanding of man.

3 I have neither learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has ascended into heaven or descended? Who has gathered the winds in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know it?

5 Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who trust in him.

6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

7 Two things have I asked of you; do not deny me before I die:

8 Remove from me vanity and lying words; Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread of my accustomed portion.

9 Lest when I am full I deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or when I become poor I steal and take advantage of the name of my God.

10 Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held accountable.

11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, and is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a generation whose eyes are haughty, and whose eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose jawbones are like knives, to devour the afflicted from the earth, the needy from among men.

15 The leech has two daughters: Give, Give. These three are never satisfied, and four never say, "Enough."

16 The grave, the barren womb, the ground that is not satisfied with water, and fire never say, "Enough."

17 The eyes that mock a father, or despise a mother's obedience, the ravens of the brook will pick them out, and the young eagles will eat them.

18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me, and four I do not know:

19 The way of an eagle in the sky; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a virgin.

20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."

21 For three things the earth is in dismay, and four it cannot bear:

22 For a servant when he reigns; and for a fool when he is full of bread;

23 For a hated woman when she marries; and by a maidservant when she becomes heir to her mistress.

24 These four are among the smallest on earth, yet they are wise, full of wisdom:

25 The ants are a powerless people, yet they prepare their food in the summer;

26 The conies are a feeble people, yet they make their home in the rocks;

27 The locusts have no king; yet they all go forth and scatter in flocks;

28 The spider catches with its hands, and is in kings' palaces.

29 There are three that have a good gait, and the fourth walks very well:

30 The lion, the strongest among the beasts, whom no one turns back for;

31 The war horse, with its loins well girded; and the goat also; and the king who cannot be resisted.

32 If you have acted foolishly in exalting yourself, or if you have imagined evil, put your hand on your mouth. 

33 For the pressing of milk brings forth butter, and the pressing of the nose brings forth blood, and the pressing of anger brings forth strife.