Wise Words from Agur
30 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh [C an otherwise unknown wise man].
·This is his message to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [or The utterance of the man, “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and I am exhausted; C unclear whether these are proper names or verbs]:
2 “I am ·the most stupid person there is [a dullard/brute more than a human; Ps. 73:22],
and I have no understanding.
3 I have not learned to be wise,
and I don’t know much about ·God, the Holy One [or the holy ones; C a reference to angels].
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come back down [John 3:12–13]?
Who can hold the wind ·in his hand [or by the handful; Gen. 8:1; Ex. 10:13; 15:10; Num. 11:31; Amos 4:13]?
Who can gather up the waters in his coat [Job 26:8]?
Who has set in place the ends of the earth [8:27–29]?
What is his name or his son’s name?
Tell me, if you know!
5 “Every word of God ·is true [passes the test; L is refined; 2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30].
·He guards those [L They are a shield to those] who come to him for ·safety [refuge].
6 Do not add to his words [Deut. 4:2; 12:32],
or he will correct you and prove you are a liar.
7 “I ask two things from you, Lord.
Don’t ·refuse [withhold them from] me before I die.
8 Keep me from lying and ·being dishonest [fraud].
And don’t make me either rich or poor;
just give me enough food for each day [Matt. 6:11; 1 Tim. 6:8].
9 If I ·have too much [am sated/satisfied], I might ·reject [deny] you
and say, ‘·I don’t know the Lord [L Who is the Lord?]’
If I am poor, I might steal
and ·disgrace [profane] the name of my God.
10 “Do not ·say bad things about [slander] servants to their masters,
or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it [Eccl. 7:21–22].
11 “Some people curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers [Ex. 20:12; 21:17].
12 Some people think they are pure,
but they ·are not really free from evil [L have not cleaned off their own excrement; Deut. 23:12–14].
13 Some people have such ·a proud look [haughty eyes]!
They ·look down on others [L raise their eyebrows; Ps. 131].
14 Some people have teeth like swords;
their jaws ·seem full of knives [are a butcher’s knife; C their words hurt people].
They want to ·remove [L consume] the poor from the earth
and the needy from the ·land [or humanity].
15 “·Greed [L The leech] has two daughters
named ‘Give’ and ‘Give.’
There are three things that are never satisfied,
really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’:
16 the ·cemetery [grave; Sheol], the ·childless mother [L barren womb],
the land that never gets enough rain,
and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’
17 “·If you make fun of your [L An eye that ridicules one’s] father
and ·refuse to obey your [L despises the teaching of one’s] mother,
the ·birds [L ravens] of the ·valley [wadi] will peck out your eyes,
and the ·vultures [or young eagles] will eat them.
18 “There are three things that are too ·hard [wonderful] for me,
really four I don’t understand:
19 the way an eagle flies in the sky,
the way a snake slides over a rock,
the way a ship sails on the sea,
and the way a man and a woman ·fall in [or make] love.
20 “This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery:
She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face;
she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’
21 “There are three things that make the earth tremble,
really four it cannot ·stand [bear]:
22 a servant who becomes a king [Eccl. 10:5–7],
a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23 a ·hated [unloved] woman who gets married,
and a maid who ·replaces [displaces; succeeds] her mistress [Gen. 16:4].
24 “There are four things on earth that are small,
but they are very wise:
25 Ants are not very strong,
but they ·store up [have] food in the summer.
26 ·Rock badgers [or Coneys] are not very powerful,
but they can live among the ·rocks [crags].
27 Locusts have no king,
but they ·all go forward in formation [advance together in ranks].
28 Lizards can be caught in the hand,
but they are found even in kings’ palaces.
29 “There are three things that ·strut proudly [L are excellent in gait],
really four that ·walk as if they were important [L are excellent as they walk]:
30 a lion, ·the proudest animal [or a warrior among beasts],
which ·is strong and runs from nothing [backs down from nothing],
31 a rooster, a male goat,
and a king when his army is around him.
32 “If you have been foolish and proud,
or if you have planned evil, ·shut [L put your hand to] your mouth [Job 40:2].
33 Just as ·stirring [L pressing] milk makes ·butter [curds],
and ·twisting [L pressing] noses makes ·them bleed [blood],
so ·stirring up [L pressing] anger ·causes trouble [leads to accusations].”