The message of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God.
I am too ignorant to be human, and I lack common sense.
I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One.
Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name--and his son's name? Tell me if you know!
Every word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection.
Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.
O God, I beg two favors from you before I die.
First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.
Never slander a person to his employer. If you do, the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.
Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother.
They feel pure, but they are filthy and unwashed.
They are proud beyond description and disdainful.
They devour the poor with teeth as sharp as swords or knives. They destroy the needy from the face of the earth.
The leech has two suckers that cry out, "More, more!" There are three other things--no, four!--that are never satisfied:
the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire.
The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.
There are three things that amaze me--no, four things I do not understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.
Equally amazing is how an adulterous woman can satisfy her sexual appetite, shrug her shoulders, and then say, "What's wrong with that?"
There are three things that make the earth tremble--no, four it cannot endure:
a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers,
a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress.
There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
Ants--they aren't strong, but they store up food for the winter.
Rock badgers--they aren't powerful, but they make their homes among the rocky cliffs.
Locusts--they have no king, but they march like an army in ranks.
Lizards--they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings' palaces.
There are three stately monarchs on the earth--no, four:
the lion, king of animals, who won't turn aside for anything,
the strutting rooster, the male goat, a king as he leads his army.
If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, don't brag about it--cover your mouth with your hand in shame.
As the beating of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.