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Wise Words from Agur

30 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh [C an otherwise unknown wise man].

·This is his message to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal [or The utterance of the man, “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and I am exhausted; C unclear whether these are proper names or verbs]:
“I am ·the most stupid person there is [a dullard/brute more than a human; Ps. 73:22],
    and I have no understanding.
I have not learned to be wise,
    and I don’t know much about ·God, the Holy One [or the holy ones; C a reference to angels].
Who has gone up to heaven and come back down [John 3:12–13]?
    Who can hold the wind ·in his hand [or by the handful; Gen. 8:1; Ex. 10:13; 15:10; Num. 11:31; Amos 4:13]?
Who can gather up the waters in his coat [Job 26:8]?
    Who has set in place the ends of the earth [8:27–29]?
What is his name or his son’s name?
    Tell me, if you know!

“Every word of God ·is true [passes the test; L is refined; 2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30].
    ·He guards those [L They are a shield to those] who come to him for ·safety [refuge].
Do not add to his words [Deut. 4:2; 12:32],
    or he will correct you and prove you are a liar.

“I ask two things from you, Lord.
    Don’t ·refuse [withhold them from] me before I die.
Keep me from lying and ·being dishonest [fraud].
    And don’t make me either rich or poor;
    just give me enough food for each day [Matt. 6:11; 1 Tim. 6:8].
If I ·have too much [am sated/satisfied], I might ·reject [deny] you
    and say, ‘·I don’t know the Lord [L Who is the Lord?]
If I am poor, I might steal
    and ·disgrace [profane] the name of my God.

10 “Do not ·say bad things about [slander] servants to their masters,
or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it [Eccl. 7:21–22].

11 “Some people curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers [Ex. 20:12; 21:17].
12 Some people think they are pure,
    but they ·are not really free from evil [L have not cleaned off their own excrement; Deut. 23:12–14].
13 Some people have such ·a proud look [haughty eyes]!
    They ·look down on others [L raise their eyebrows; Ps. 131].
14 Some people have teeth like swords;
    their jaws ·seem full of knives [are a butcher’s knife; C their words hurt people].
They want to ·remove [L consume] the poor from the earth
    and the needy from the ·land [or humanity].

15 “·Greed [L The leech] has two daughters
    named ‘Give’ and ‘Give.’
There are three things that are never satisfied,
    really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’:
16 the ·cemetery [grave; Sheol], the ·childless mother [L barren womb],
    the land that never gets enough rain,
and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’

17 “·If you make fun of your [L An eye that ridicules one’s] father
    and ·refuse to obey your [L despises the teaching of one’s] mother,
the ·birds [L ravens] of the ·valley [wadi] will peck out your eyes,
    and the ·vultures [or young eagles] will eat them.

18 “There are three things that are too ·hard [wonderful] for me,
    really four I don’t understand:
19 the way an eagle flies in the sky,
    the way a snake slides over a rock,
the way a ship sails on the sea,
    and the way a man and a woman ·fall in [or make] love.

20 “This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery:
    She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face;
she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’

21 “There are three things that make the earth tremble,
    really four it cannot ·stand [bear]:
22 a servant who becomes a king [Eccl. 10:5–7],
    a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23 a ·hated [unloved] woman who gets married,
    and a maid who ·replaces [displaces; succeeds] her mistress [Gen. 16:4].

24 “There are four things on earth that are small,
    but they are very wise:
25 Ants are not very strong,
    but they ·store up [have] food in the summer.
26 ·Rock badgers [or Coneys] are not very powerful,
    but they can live among the ·rocks [crags].
27 Locusts have no king,
    but they ·all go forward in formation [advance together in ranks].
28 Lizards can be caught in the hand,
    but they are found even in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that ·strut proudly [L are excellent in gait],
    really four that ·walk as if they were important [L are excellent as they walk]:
30 a lion, ·the proudest animal [or a warrior among beasts],
    which ·is strong and runs from nothing [backs down from nothing],
31 a rooster, a male goat,
    and a king when his army is around him.

32 “If you have been foolish and proud,
    or if you have planned evil, ·shut [L put your hand to] your mouth [Job 40:2].
33 Just as ·stirring [L pressing] milk makes ·butter [curds],
    and ·twisting [L pressing] noses makes ·them bleed [blood],
so ·stirring up [L pressing] anger ·causes trouble [leads to accusations].”

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