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The Words of Agur

¹ The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the ^(F1)oracle. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

² Surely I am more ^(C1)stupid than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of a man.

³ Neither have I learned wisdom,
Nor do I have the ^(C1)knowledge of the Holy One.

⁴ Who has ^(C1)ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the ^(C2)wind in His fists?
Who has ^(C3)wrapped the waters in ^(F1)His garment?
Who has ^(C4)established all the ends of the earth?
What is His ^(C5)name or His son's name?
Surely you know!

⁵ Every ^(C1)word of God is tested;
He is a ^(C2)shield to those who take refuge in Him.

^6 (C1)Do not add to His words
Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.

⁷ Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:

⁸ Keep deception and ^(F1)lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the ^(C1)food that is my portion,

⁹ That I not be ^(C1)full and deny ^(C2)You and say, "Who is the LORD?"
Or that I not be ^(C3)in want and steal,
And ^(C4)profane the name of my God.

¹⁰ Do not slander a slave to his master,
Or he will ^(C1)curse you and you will be found guilty.

¹¹ There is a ^(F1)kind of man who ^(C1)curses his father
And does not bless his mother.

¹² There is a ^(F1)kind who is ^(C1)pure in his own eyes,
Yet is not washed from his filthiness.

¹³ There is a ^(F1)kind--oh how ^(C1)lofty are his eyes!
And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.

¹⁴ There is a ^(F1)kind of man whose ^(C1)teeth are like swords
And his ^(C2)jaw teeth like knives,
To ^(C3)devour the afflicted from the earth
And the needy from among men.

¹⁵ The leech has two daughters,
"Give," "Give."
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, "Enough":

^16 (F1)(C1)Sheol, and the ^(C2)barren womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, "Enough."

¹⁷ The eye that ^(C1)mocks a father
And ^(F1)(C2)scorns a mother,
The ^(C3)ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young ^(C3)eagles will eat it.

¹⁸ There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:

¹⁹ The way of an ^(C1)eagle in the sky,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a maid.

²⁰ This is the way of an ^(C1)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, "I have done no wrong."

²¹ Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot bear up:

²² Under a ^(C1)slave when he becomes king,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,

²³ Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.

²⁴ Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

²⁵ The ^(C1)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;

²⁶ The ^(F1)(C1)shephanim are not mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;

²⁷ The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in ^(C1)ranks;

²⁸ The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings' palaces.

²⁹ There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:

³⁰ The lion which is ^(C1)mighty among beasts
And does not ^(F1)(C2)retreat before any,

³¹ The ^(F1)strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.

³² If you have been foolish in exalting yourself
Or if you have plotted evil, ^(C1)put your hand on your mouth.

³³ For the ^(F1)churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose brings forth blood;
So the ^(F1)churning of ^(C1)anger produces strife.