The Oracle of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.[a]
This man declares:
I am weary, God. I am weary, God, and worn out,[b]
2 because I am too unreasoning to be a man.
I do not even possess human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom.
I do not have knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the palms of his hands?
Who has wrapped the water in a garment?
Who has set up all the ends of the earth?
What is his name and the name of his son?
Tell me if you know!
5 Every word of God has been refined.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words.
If you do, he will correct you,
and you will be shown to be a liar.
7 Two things I have asked from you.
Do not keep them from me before I die:
8 Keep worthless speech and lies far from me.
Do not give me poverty or riches.
Give me food in the amount that is right for me.
9 Too much, and I may feel satisfied and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Too little, and I may become poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master.
If you do, he will curse you,
and you will be found guilty.
11 There is a type of person who curses his father
and does not bless his mother.
12 This person is pure in his own eyes,
but he is not washed from his filth.
13 This person—how lofty his eyes, how high his eyelids!
14 This person—his teeth are swords,
and his fangs are knives.
He uses them to devour oppressed people from the earth
and poor people from among humanity.
15 The leech has two daughters: Give! Give!
Three things are never satisfied.
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16 the grave,
a closed womb,
land that is never satisfied with water,
and fire that never says, “Enough!”
17 An eye that mocks its father
and despises the obedience due its mother—
ravens of the valley will peck it out,
and young vultures will eat it.
18 Three things are too wonderful for me,
and four I cannot understand:
19 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 virgin.
20 This is the way of a woman who commits adultery:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
and she says, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
21 Three things make the earth tremble.
There are four things it cannot endure:
22 a servant when he becomes king,
an arrogant fool when he is filled with food,
23 a woman who is hated when she is married,
and a slave girl when she replaces her master’s wife.
24 Four things are small on the earth,
yet they are wiser than the wisest people:
25 Ants are a species without strength,
but they store their food in summer.
26 Rock badgers are a species without power,
but they make their home in a cliff.
27 Locusts have no king,
but they all march ahead in ranks.
28 Lizards can be caught in your hands,
but they live in kings’ palaces.
29 Three things strut impressively.
Four walk with dignity:
30 a lion, which is the mightiest among the animals,
does not turn away from anything,
31 a strutting rooster,[c]
a male goat,
and a king reviewing his troops.[d]
32 If you have acted like a fool by exalting yourself,
or if you have been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth,
33 because just as pressing milk produces cheese,[e]
and pressing a nose brings forth blood,
so pressing one’s anger produces a fight.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or of Massa
- Proverbs 30:1 The main Hebrew text seems to read the words translated I am weary and worn out as proper names, to Ithiel and Ucal.
- Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew phrase girt of loins is uncertain. It may refer to a strutting animal, such as a rooster, or to a dandy, decked out in fine clothes.
- Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the last phrase is uncertain.
- Proverbs 30:33 Or churning milk produces butter