Study Desk

Sayings of Agur

The sayings^(a) of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. This man's utterance to Ithiel: "I am weary, God, but I can prevail.^[a]

Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding.

I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.^(b)

Who has gone up^(c) to heaven and come down? Whose hands^(d) have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters^(e) in a cloak?^(f) Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name,^(g) and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!

"Every word of God is flawless;^(h) he is a shield⁽ⁱ⁾ to those who take refuge in him.

Do not add^(j) to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

"Two things I ask of you, Lord ; do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.^(k)

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown^(l) you and say, ‘Who is the Lord ?'^(m) Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.⁽ⁿ⁾

"Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

"There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;^(o)

those who are pure in their own eyes^(p) and yet are not cleansed of their filth;^(q)

those whose eyes are ever so haughty,^(r) whose glances are so disdainful;

those whose teeth^(s) are swords and whose jaws are set with knives^(t) to devour^(u) the poor^(v) from the earth and the needy from among mankind.^(w)

"The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied,^(x) four that never say, ‘Enough!':

the grave,^(y) the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!'

"The eye that mocks^(z) a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.^(aa)

"There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:

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 young woman.

"This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I've done nothing wrong.'^(ab)

"Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

a servant who becomes king,^(ac) a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,

a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress.

"Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:

Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;^(ad)

hyraxes^(ae) are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;

locusts^(af) have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;

a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.

"There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:

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

a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt.^[b]

"If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!^(ag)

For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."