1 These are the sayings and the message
of Agur son of Jakeh.
Someone cries out to God,
“I am completely worn out!
How can I last?
2 I am far too stupid
to be considered human.
3 I never was wise,
and I don’t understand
what God is like.”
4 Has anyone gone up to heaven
and come back down?
Has anyone grabbed hold
of the wind?
Has anyone wrapped up the sea
or marked out boundaries
for the earth?
If you know of any
who have done such things,
then tell me their names
and their children’s
names.
5 Everything God says is true—
and it’s a shield for all
who come to him for safety.
6 Don’t change what God has said!
He will correct you and show
that you are a liar.
7 There are two things, Lord,
I want you to do for me
before I die:
8 Make me absolutely honest
and don’t let me be too poor
or too rich.
Give me just what I need.
9 If I have too much to eat,
I might forget about you;
if I don’t have enough,
I might steal
and disgrace your name.
10 Don’t tell a slave owner
something bad about one
of the slaves.
That slave will curse you,
and you
will be in trouble.
11 Some people curse their father
and even
their mother;
12 others think they are perfect,
but they
are stained by sin.
13 Some people are stuck-up
and act
like snobs;
14 others are so greedy
that they gobble down
the poor
and homeless.
15 Greed has twins,
each named
“Give me!”
There are three or four things
that are
never satisfied:
16 The world of the dead
and a childless
wife,
the thirsty earth
and a flaming
fire.
17 Don’t make fun of your father
or disobey
your mother—
crows will peck out your eyes,
and buzzards will eat
the rest
of you.
18 There are three or four things
I cannot
understand:
19 How eagles fly so high
or snakes
crawl on rocks,
how ships sail the ocean
or people
fall in love.
20 An unfaithful wife says,
“Sleeping with another man
is as natural
as eating.”
21 There are three or four things
that make the earth tremble
and are
unbearable:
22 A slave who becomes king,
a fool who
eats too much,
23 a hateful woman
who finds
a husband,
and a slave who takes the place
of the woman
who owns her.
24 On this earth four things
are small
but very wise:
25 Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food
all summer
long;
26 badgers, who seem to be weak,
but live
among the rocks;
27 locusts, who have no king,
but march
like an army;
28 lizards, which can be caught
in your hand,
but sneak
into palaces.
29 Three or four creatures
really strut
around:
30 Those fearless lions
who rule
the jungle,
31 those proud roosters,
those mountain
goats,
and those rulers
who have
no enemies.
32 If you are foolishly bragging
or planning something evil,
then stop
it now!
33 If you churn milk
you get
butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get
blood—
and if you stay angry,
you get
in trouble.