The Words of Agur
1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. Or son of Jakeh from Massa ; Pr 31:1 Nm 24:3; Pr 31:1; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zch 9:1; Mal 1:1
The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: Hb uncertain. Sometimes read with different word division as oration: I am weary, God, I am weary, God, and I am exhausted, or oration: I am not God, I am not God, that I should prevail. LXX reads My son, fear my words and when you have received them repent. The man says these things to the believers in God, and I pause.
2I am more stupid than any other man, Lit I am more stupid than a man
and I lack man’s ability to understand. 1Kg 3:7
3I have not gained wisdom,
and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. Pr 9:10
4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Jn 3:13; Eph 4:9-10
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Jb 26:8; 38:9
Who has established all the ends of the earth? Jb 38:4-5; Ps 93:1; 119:90; Is 45:18
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son —
if you know? Mt 11:27; Rv 19:12-13
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Ps 3:3
6Don’t add to His words, Dt 4:2; 12:32; Rv 22:18
or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. Dt 18:22
7Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:
8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need. Jb 23:12; Mt 6:11; Php 4:11-12
9Otherwise, I might have too much Dt 6:10-12; 8:11-14
and deny You, Jos 24:27; Jb 31:28 saying, “Who is the Lord? ” Ex 5:2
or I might have nothing and steal, Ex 20:5; Eph 4:28
profaning Lit grabbing the name of my God. Lv 19:11-12
10Don’t slander a servant to his master
or he will curse you, Ec 7:21 and you will become guilty.
11There is a generation that curses its father
and does not bless its mother. Ex 21:17; Pr 20:20
12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Pr 16:2; Lk 18:11
yet is not washed from its filth.
13There is a generation — how haughty its eyes
and pretentious its looks. Lit and its eyelids lifted up
14There is a generation whose teeth are swords, Ps 57:4
whose fangs are knives, Jb 29:17
devouring the oppressed from the land Ps 14:4
and the needy from among mankind.
15The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things Pr 6:16; 30:18,21,29 are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough! ”:
earth, which is never satisfied with water;
and fire, which never says, “Enough! ”
17As for the eye that ridicules a father Gn 9:22
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it. Dt 28:26
18Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:
19the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” Pr 28:24; 1Jn 1:8
21The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22a servant when he becomes king, Pr 19:10; Ec 10:7
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23an unloved woman when she marries, Gn 29:30-31; Dt 21:15
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
24Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25the ants are not a strong people,
yet they store up their food in the summer; Pr 6:6-8
26hyraxes are not a mighty people,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs; Lv 11:5; Ps 104:18
27locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in ranks; Jl 2:7-8
28a lizard Or spider can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
29Three things are stately in their stride,
even four are stately in their walk:
30a lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31a strutting rooster, Or a greyhound a goat,
and a king at the head of his army. LXX reads king addressing his people
32If you have been foolish by exalting yourself
or if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth. Jb 21:5; Mc 7:16
33For the churning of milk produces butter,
and twisting a nose draws blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife. Pr 10:12; 29:22
Holman Christian Standard Bible®
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009
by Holman Bible Publishers
