The Oracle of Agur

¹ The words of Agur, son of Yakeh, the oracle. Thus says the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel, and Ucal:¹

1. Or “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out”

² Certainly I am more stupid than a man, and the understanding of humankind is not for me.

³ And I have not learned wisdom, nor will I know knowledge of the Holy One.¹

1. Or “holy ones”

⁴ Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of his hand? Who has wrapped water in a¹ garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name and what is the name of his child? For surely you know.

1. Hebrew “the”

⁵ Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield for him who takes refuge in him.

⁶ Do not add to his words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

⁷ Two things I ask from you; do not deny me before I die:

⁸ Keep falsehood and a ⌞lying word⌟¹ far from me; do not give me poverty or wealth; provide me with food only for my need.

1. Literally “word of a lie”

⁹ Or else I will be satisfied and will deny him and say “Who is Yahweh?” Or¹ I will be poor and will steal and profane the name of my God.

1. Or “Lest”

¹⁰ Do not slander a servant to his master, or else he will curse you and you will be guilty.

¹¹ There is a generation that will curse its father, and its mother it will not bless.

¹² There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, but from its filthiness it will not be cleansed.

¹³ There is a generation—how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids they will lift.

¹⁴ There is a generation whose teeth are swords, and its jawbones, knives, in order to devour the poor from the earth¹ and the needy from humankind.

1. Or “land”

¹⁵ For the leech, there are two daughters; “Give, give!” they cry. As for three of these, they are not satisfied; as for four, they do not say enough.

¹⁶ Sheol¹ and barrenness of womb, the land is not satisfied with water, and fire does not say “enough!”

1. A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld

¹⁷ The eye that mocks a father and scorns the obedience of a mother— the ravens of the valley will peck it out, and the offspring of vultures will eat it.

¹⁸ Three of these are too wonderful for me, and four, I do not understand them:

¹⁹ the way of the eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship in the heart of the sea, and the way of a man with a young woman.

²⁰ This is the way of a woman committing adultery: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says “I have not done wrong.”

²¹ Under three things the earth¹ trembles, and under four, it is not able to bear up:

1. Or “land”

²² under a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is satisfied with food;

²³ under an unloved woman when she gets married, and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.

²⁴ There are four small things on the earth, and they are ⌞exceedingly wise⌟:¹

1. Literally “wise ones from wise ones”

²⁵ The ants are a people who are not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer;

²⁶ the badgers are a people who are not mighty, yet they set their house on the rock;

²⁷ there is no king for the locust, yet it marches in rank;

²⁸ a lizard you can seize with hands, yet it is in palaces of kings.

²⁹ There are three things that are magnificent of stride, and four that are magnificent when moving:

³⁰ a mighty lion among the beasts,¹ but he will not turn back from ⌞any face⌟;²

1. Hebrew “beasts”
2. Literally “faces of all”

³¹ a strutting rooster or he-goat, and a king whose army is with him.

³² If you have been foolish by exalting yourself, and if you have devised evil, put your hand to your mouth.

³³ For pressing milk produces curd, and pressing the nose produces blood, so pressing ⌞anger⌟¹ produces strife.

1. Literally “nostrils”