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Sayings of Agur

30The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.

Thus says the man: I am weary, O God,
   I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?^*
2 Surely I am too stupid to be human;
   I do not have human understanding.
³ I have not learned wisdom,
   nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.^*
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
   Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
   Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
   And what is the name of the person’s child?
   Surely you know!

⁵ Every word of God proves true;
   he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
   or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.

⁷ Two things I ask of you;
   do not deny them to me before I die:
⁸ Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
   give me neither poverty nor riches;
   feed me with the food that I need,
⁹ or I shall be full, and deny you,
   and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
or I shall be poor, and steal,
   and profane the name of my God.

¹⁰ Do not slander a servant to a master,
   or the servant will curse you, and you will be held guilty.

¹¹ There are those who curse their fathers
   and do not bless their mothers.
¹² There are those who are pure in their own eyes
   yet are not cleansed of their filthiness.
¹³ There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
   how high their eyelids lift!—
¹⁴ there are those whose teeth are swords,
   whose teeth are knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
   the needy from among mortals.

¹⁵ The leech^* has two daughters;
   ‘Give, give,’ they cry.
Three things are never satisfied;
   four never say, ‘Enough’:
¹⁶ Sheol, the barren womb,
   the earth ever thirsty for water,
   and the fire that never says, ‘Enough.’^*

¹⁷ The eye that mocks a father
   and scorns to obey a mother
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
   and eaten by the vultures.

¹⁸ Three things are too wonderful for me;
   four I do not 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 girl.

²⁰ This is the way of an adulteress:
   she eats, and wipes her mouth,
   and says, ‘I have done no wrong.’

²¹ Under three things the earth trembles;
   under four it cannot bear up:
²² a slave when he becomes king,
   and a fool when glutted with food;
²³ an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
   and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.

²⁴ Four things on earth are small,
   yet they are exceedingly wise:
²⁵ the ants are a people without strength,
   yet they provide their food in the summer;
²⁶ the badgers are a people without power,
   yet they make their homes in the rocks;
²⁷ the locusts have no king,
   yet all of them march in rank;
²⁸ the lizard^* can be grasped in the hand,
   yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

²⁹ Three things are stately in their stride;
   four are stately in their gait:
³⁰ the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
   and does not turn back before any;
³¹ the strutting rooster,^* the he-goat,
   and a king striding before^* his people.

³² If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
   or if you have been devising evil,
   put your hand on your mouth.
³³ For as pressing milk produces curds,
   and pressing the nose produces blood,
   so pressing anger produces strife.

The Teaching of King Lemuel’s Mother

31The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

² No, my son! No, son of my womb!
   No, son of my vows!
³ Do not give your strength to women,
   your ways to those who destroy kings.
⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
   it is not for kings to drink wine,
   or for rulers to desire^* strong drink;
⁵ or else they will drink and forget what has been decreed,
   and will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
⁶ Give strong drink to one who is perishing,
   and wine to those in bitter distress;
⁷ let them drink and forget their poverty,
   and remember their misery no more.
⁸ Speak out for those who cannot speak,
   for the rights of all the destitute.^*
9 Speak out, judge righteously,
   defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Ode to a Capable Wife

¹⁰ A capable wife who can find?
   She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
   and he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good, and not harm,
   all the days of her life.
¹³ She seeks wool and flax,
   and works with willing hands.
¹⁴ She is like the ships of the merchant,
   she brings her food from far away.
¹⁵ She rises while it is still night
   and provides food for her household
   and tasks for her servant-girls.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
   with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She girds herself with strength,
   and makes her arms strong.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
   Her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ She puts her hands to the distaff,
   and her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰ She opens her hand to the poor,
   and reaches out her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
   for all her household are clothed in crimson.
²² She makes herself coverings;
   her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the city gates,
   taking his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them;
   she supplies the merchant with sashes.
²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing,
   and she laughs at the time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
   and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷ She looks well to the ways of her household,
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her happy;
   her husband too, and he praises her:
²⁹ ‘Many women have done excellently,
   but you surpass them all.’
³⁰ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
   but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
   and let her works praise her in the city gates.