Sayings of Agur
1 ‡ The sayings † of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.
This man’s utterance to Ithiel:
“I am weary, God,but I can prevail. [50]2 ‡ Surely I am only a brute, not a man;I do not have human understanding.3 ‡ I have not learned wisdom,nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One. †4 ‡ Who has gone up † to heaven and come down?Whose hands † have gathered up the wind?Who has wrapped up the waters † in a cloak? †Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is his name, † and what is the name of his son?Surely you know!
5 ‡ “Every word of God is flawless; †he is a shield † to those who take refuge in him.6 ‡ Do not add † to his words,or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
7 ‡ “Two things I ask of you, LORD ;do not refuse me before I die:8 ‡ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;give me neither poverty nor riches,but give me only my daily bread. †9 ‡ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown † youand say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’ †Or I may become poor and steal,and so dishonor the name of my God. †
10 ‡ “Do not slander a servant to their master,or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.
11 ‡ “There are those who curse their fathersand do not bless their mothers; †12 ‡ those who are pure in their own eyes †and yet are not cleansed of their filth; †13 ‡ those whose eyes are ever so haughty, †whose glances are so disdainful;14 ‡ those whose teeth † are swordsand whose jaws are set with knives †to devour † the poor † from the earthand the needy from among mankind. †
15 ‡ “The leech has two daughters.‘Give! Give!’ they cry.
“There are three things that are never satisfied, †four that never say, ‘Enough!’:16 ‡ the grave, † the barren womb,land, which is never satisfied with water,and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
17 ‡ “The eye that mocks † a father,that scorns an aged mother,will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,will be eaten by the vultures. †
18 ‡ “There are three things that are too amazing for me,four that 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 young woman.
20 ‡ “This is the way of an adulterous woman:She eats and wipes her mouthand says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’ †
21 “Under three things the earth trembles,under four it cannot bear up:22 ‡ a servant who becomes king, †a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,23 ‡ a contemptible woman who gets married,and a servant who displaces her mistress.
24 “Four things on earth are small,yet they are extremely wise:25 ‡ Ants are creatures of little strength,yet they store up their food in the summer; †26 ‡ hyraxes † are creatures of little power,yet they make their home in the crags;27 ‡ locusts † have no king,yet they advance together in ranks;28 ‡ a lizard can be caught with the hand,yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride,four that move with stately bearing:30 ‡ a lion, mighty among beasts,who retreats before nothing;31 ‡ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,and a king secure against revolt. [51]
32 ‡ “If you play the fool and exalt yourself,or if you plan evil,clap your hand over your mouth! †33 ‡ For as churning cream produces butter,and as twisting the nose produces blood,so stirring up anger produces strife.”
Sayings of King Lemuel
1 ‡ The sayings † of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 ‡ Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! †3 ‡ Do not spend your strength [52] on women,your vigor on those who ruin kings. †
4 ‡ It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, †not for rulers to crave beer,5 ‡ lest they drink † and forget what has been decreed, †and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.6 ‡ Let beer be for those who are perishing,wine † for those who are in anguish!7 Let them drink † and forget their povertyand remember their misery no more.
8 ‡ Speak † up for those who cannot speak for themselves,for the rights of all who are destitute.9 Speak up and judge fairly;defend the rights of the poor and needy. †
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
10 ‡ [53] A wife of noble character † who can find? †She is worth far more than rubies.11 Her husband † has full confidence in herand lacks nothing of value. †12 ‡ She brings him good, not harm,all the days of her life.13 ‡ She selects wool and flaxand works with eager hands. †14 ‡ She is like the merchant ships,bringing her food from afar.15 ‡ She gets up while it is still night;she provides food for her familyand portions for her female servants.16 ‡ She considers a field and buys it;out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.17 ‡ She sets about her work vigorously;her arms are strong for her tasks.18 ‡ She sees that her trading is profitable,and her lamp does not go out at night.19 ‡ In her hand she holds the distaffand grasps the spindle with her fingers.20 ‡ She opens her arms to the poorand extends her hands to the needy. †21 ‡ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;for all of them are clothed in scarlet.22 ‡ She makes coverings for her bed;she is clothed in fine linen and purple.23 ‡ Her husband is respected at the city gate,where he takes his seat among the elders † of the land.24 ‡ She makes linen garments and sells them,and supplies the merchants with sashes.25 ‡ She is clothed with strength and dignity;she can laugh at the days to come.26 ‡ She speaks with wisdom,and faithful instruction is on her tongue. †27 She watches over the affairs of her householdand does not eat the bread of idleness.28 ‡ Her children arise and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her:29 ‡ “Many women do noble things,but you surpass them all.”30 ‡ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31 ‡ Honor her for all that her hands have done,and let her works bring her praise † at the city gate.
Roman merchant ship (Pompeii, first century AD). Proverbs 31:14 describes a wife of noble character as being “like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.”
Z. Radovan/ www.BibleLandPictures.com