Sayings of Agur

1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,

but I can prevail.

2Surely I am only a brute, not a man;

I do not have human understanding.

3I have not learned wisdom,

nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.

4Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

Whose hands have gathered up the wind?

Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and what is the name of his son?

Surely you know!

5“Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6Do not add to his words,

or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7“Two things I ask of you, Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

8Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

10“Do not slander a servant to their master,

or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

11“There are those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers;

12those who are pure in their own eyes

and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

13those whose eyes are ever so haughty,

whose glances are so disdainful;

14those whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are set with knives

to devour the poor from the earth

and the needy from among mankind.

15“The leech has two daughters.

‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

“There are three things that are never satisfied,

four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

16the grave

and the barren womb;

land, which is never satisfied with water,

and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

17“The eye that mocks a father,

that scorns an aged mother,

will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,

will be eaten by the vultures.

18“There are three things that are too amazing for me,

four that I do not understand:

19the 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 young woman.

20“This is the way of an adulterous woman:

She eats and wipes her mouth

and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’

21“Under three things the earth trembles,

under four it cannot bear up:

22a servant who becomes king,

a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,

23a contemptible woman who gets married,

and a servant who displaces her mistress.

24“Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

25Ants are creatures of little strength,

yet they store up their food in the summer;

26hyraxes are creatures of little power,

yet they make their home in the crags;

27locusts have no king,

yet they advance together in ranks;

28a lizard can be caught with the hand,

yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

29“There are three things that are stately in their stride,

four that move with stately bearing:

30a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

31a strutting rooster,

a he-goat,

and a king secure against revolt.

32“If you play the fool and exalt yourself,

or if you plan evil,

clap your hand over your mouth!

33For as churning cream produces butter,

and as twisting the nose produces blood,

so stirring up anger produces strife.”