The Wisdom of Agur
1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:
And do not have the understanding of a man.
3I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.
4Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
7Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.
10Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.
And does not bless its mother.
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are 30:13 In arrogancelifted up.
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.
15The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16The30:16 Or Sheol grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.
18There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
19The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the 30:19 Lit. heartmidst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.
20This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”
21For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.
24There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26The 30:26 rock hyraxesrock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
28The 30:28 Or lizardspider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.
29There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;
31A 30:31 Or perhaps strutting rooster, lit. girded of waistgreyhound,
A male goat also,
And 30:31 A Jewish tradition a king against whom there is no uprisinga king whose troops are with him.
32If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.
33For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
