1Whoever remains stiff-neckeda after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyedb—without remedy.c
2When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;d
when the wicked rule,e the people groan.f
3A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,g
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.h
4By justice a king gives a country stability,i
but those who are greedy for1 bribes tear it down.
5Those who flatter their neighbors
are spreading nets for their feet.j
6Evildoers are snared by their own sin,k
but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.
7The righteous care about justice for the poor,l
but the wicked have no such concern.
8Mockers stir up a city,
but the wise turn away anger.m
9If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.
10The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.n
11Fools give full vent to their rage,o
but the wise bring calm in the end.p
12If a rulerq listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.r
13The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.s
14If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will be established forever.t
15A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.u
16When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.v
17Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.w
18Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.x
19Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
though they understand, they will not respond.
20Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.y
21A servant pampered from youth
will turn out to be insolent.
22An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.z
but the lowly in spirit gain honor.b
24The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
they are put under oath and dare not testify.c
25Feard of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORDe is kept safe.f
26Many seek an audience with a ruler,g
but it is from the LORD that one gets justice.h
27The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.i
Sayings of Agur
1The sayingsa of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.
This man’s utterance to Ithiel:
“I am weary, God,
but I can prevail.1
2Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
I do not have human understanding.
3I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.b
4Who has gone upc to heaven and come down?
Whose handsd have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waterse in a cloak?f
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name,g and what is the name of his son?
Surely you know!
5“Every word of God is flawless;h
he is a shieldi to those who take refuge in him.
6Do not addj 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:
8Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.k
9Otherwise, I may have too much and disownl you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’m
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.n
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 fathers
and do not bless their mothers;o
12those who are pure in their own eyesp
and yet are not cleansed of their filth;q
13those whose eyes are ever so haughty,r
whose glances are so disdainful;
14those whose teeths are swords
and whose jaws are set with knivest
to devouru the poorv from the earth
and the needy from among mankind.w
15“The leech has two daughters.
‘Give! Give!’ they cry.
“There are three things that are never satisfied,x
four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16the grave,y the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
17“The eye that mocksz a father,
that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
will be eaten by the vultures.a
18“There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:
19the 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 mouth
and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’b
21“Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot bear up:
22a servant who becomes king,c
a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23a contemptible woman who gets married,
and a servant who displaces her mistress.
24“Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;d
26hyraxese are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;
27locustsf have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;
28a 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:
30a lion, mighty among beasts,
who retreats before nothing;
31a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
and a king secure against revolt.2
32“If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
or if you plan evil,
clap your hand over your mouth!g
33For as churning cream produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife.”
Sayings of King Lemuel
1The sayingsa of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!b
3Do not spend your strength1 on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.c
4It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,d
not for rulers to crave beer,
5lest they drinke and forget what has been decreed,f
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wineg for those who are in anguish!
7Let them drinkh and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8Speaki up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.j
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
102A wife of noble characterk who can find?l
She is worth far more than rubies.
11Her husbandm has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.n
12She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.o
14She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.p
21When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the eldersq of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.r
27She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praises at the city gate.