1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.*30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa

The man declares, I am weary, O God;

I am weary, O God, and worn out.*30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal

2 Surely I am too *See Ps. 49:10stupid to be a man.

I have not the understanding of a man.

3 I have not learned wisdom,

nor have I knowledge of *ch. 9:10the Holy One.

4 Who has *John 3:13ascended to heaven and come down?

Who has *[Isa. 40:12]; See Job 38:4-11; Ps. 104:3-6gathered the wind in his fists?

Who has *Job 26:8wrapped up the waters in a garment?

Who has established all *Ps. 22:27the ends of the earth?

*[Rev. 19:12]What is his name, and what is his son’s name?

Surely you know!

5 *Ps. 12:6;18:30Every word of God proves true;

he is *See Ps. 3:3a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6 *Deut. 4:2;12:32;[Rev. 22:18]Do not add to his words,

lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I ask of you;

deny them not to me *Gen. 45:28before I die:

8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is *Job 23:12;Matt. 6:11;Luke 11:3needful for me,

9 lest I be *Deut. 8:12;31:20;32:15;Neh. 9:25;[ver. 22] full and *Josh. 24:27deny you

and say, *Ex. 5:2"Who is the Lord?"

or lest I be poor and steal

*[Job 21:14,15]; See Ex. 20:7and profane the name of my God.

10 *[Ps. 15:3;101:5] Do not slander a servant to his master,

*Eccles. 7:21lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

11 There are those*30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 who *ch. 20:20;[ver. 17]; See Ex. 21:17curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

12 There are those who are *ch. 16:2;[Luke 18:11;Rev. 3:17]clean in their own eyes

but are not washed of their filth.

13 There are those—how *See Ps. 101:5lofty are their eyes,

how high their eyelids lift!

14 There are those whose teeth are *See Ps. 57:4swords,

whose *Job 29:17fangs are knives,

to *See Ps. 14:4devour the poor from off the earth,

the needy from among mankind.

15 The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.*30:15 Or "Give, give," they cry

*ver. 18, 21, 29;[ch. 6:16]Three things are never satisfied;

*ver. 18, 21, 29;[ch. 6:16]four never say, "Enough":

16 *See ch. 27:20Sheol, *[Gen. 30:1]the barren womb,

the land never satisfied with water,

and the fire that never says, "Enough."

17 The eye that *[ver. 11; Gen. 9:22] mocks a father

and *[ch. 23:22] scorns to obey a mother

will *[Num. 16:14] be picked out by *[Jer. 16:4]the ravens of the valley

and eaten by the vultures.

18 *[See ver. 15above] Three things are *See Job 42:3too wonderful for me;

*[See ver. 15above] four I do not understand:

19 the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a serpent on a rock,

the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a virgin.

20 This is the way of an adulteress:

she eats and wipes her mouth

and says, "I have done no wrong."

21 Under *[See ver. 15above] three things *Joel 2:10;Amos 8:8the earth trembles;

under *[See ver. 15above] four it cannot bear up:

22 *ch. 19:10a slave when he becomes king,

and a fool when he is *[ver. 9]filled with food;

23 *Deut. 21:15an unloved woman when she *[Isa. 54:1;62:4]gets a husband,

and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

24 *[See ver. 15above]Four things on earth are small,

but they are exceedingly wise:

25 *ch. 6:6-8the ants are a people not strong,

yet they provide their food in the summer;

26 *Lev. 11:5;Ps. 104:18the rock badgers are a people not mighty,

yet they make their homes in the cliffs;

27 the locusts have no *[ch. 6:7] king,

yet all of them march in *[Joel 2:7,8,25]rank;

28 the lizard you can take in your hands,

yet it is in kings’ palaces.

29 *ver. 15, 18, 21;[ch. 6:16]Three things are stately in their tread;

*ver. 15, 18, 21;[ch. 6:16]four are stately in their stride:

30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts

and *[Job 39:22]does not turn back before any;

31 the *[Job 40:16]strutting rooster,*30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins the he-goat,

and a king whose army is with him.*30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up

32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,

or if you have been devising evil,

*Mic. 7:16;See Job 21:5put your hand on your mouth.

33 For pressing milk produces curds,

pressing the nose produces blood,

and pressing anger produces strife.