Proverbs

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

²Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

³I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

⁴Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

⁵Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

⁶Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

⁷Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

⁸Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

⁹Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

¹⁰Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

¹⁶The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

¹⁷The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.

²⁰Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

²¹For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

²²For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

²³For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

²⁴There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

²⁵The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

²⁸The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

²⁹There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:

³⁰A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

³¹A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

³²If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

³³Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.