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Chapter 30 |
| 1 | The words of
Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto
Ithiel and Ucal, |
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2 | Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not
the understanding of a man. |
|
3 | I neither learned wisdom, nor have the
knowledge of the holy. |
| 4 | Who 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? |
| 5 | Every word of
God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. |
| 6 |
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a
liar. |
| 7 |
Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I
die: |
| 8 |
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty
nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: |
| 9 | Lest 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. |
| 10 | Accuse not a servant unto his
master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. |
| 11 | There is a
generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
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| 12 | There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not
washed from their filthiness. |
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13 | There is a generation, O how lofty are
their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. |
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14 | There 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. |
| 15 | The
horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that
are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: |
| 16 | The
grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the
fire that saith not, It is enough. |
| 17 | The 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. |
|
18 | There be three things
which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: |
| 19 | The 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. |
| 20 | Such is the
way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have
done no wickedness. |
| 21 | For three things the earth is disquieted,
and for four which it cannot bear: |
| 22 | For a servant when he
reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; |
| 23 | For an
odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her
mistress. |
| 24
| There be four things which are little upon the earth, but
they are exceeding wise: |
|
25 | The ants are a people not strong, yet
they prepare their meat in the summer; |
| 26 | The conies are but a feeble
folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; |
| 27 | The locusts
have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; |
| 28 | The spider
taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. |
| 29 | There be
three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: |
| 30 | A lion
which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; |
| 31 | A
greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising
up. |
| 32 |
If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou
hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. |
| 33 | Surely the
churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth
forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. |
