1 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, and worn out. 2 Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man. 3 I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— surely you know! 5 Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar. 7 Two things I ask of You— do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God. 10 Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt. 11 There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. 12 There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth. 13 There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances— 14 there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men. 15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: 16 Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’ 17 As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it. 18 There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand: 19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. 20 This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’ 21 Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: 22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food, 23 an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress. 24 Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 the rock badgers are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks; 27 the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formati…
Proverbs 30:1–33
Semantically similar passages
Psalms 75:4–6
4 I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. 5 Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’” 6 For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert,
Job 32:21–22
21 I will be partial to no one, nor will I flatter any man. 22 For I do not know how to flatter, or my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Sirach 42:12–14
12 Don’t gaze at every beautiful body. Don’t sit in the midst of women. (WEB) 13 For from garments comes a moth, and from a woman comes a woman’s wickedness. (WEB) 14 Better is the wickedness of a man than a pleasant woman, a woman who puts you to shame and disgrace. (WEB)
Ecclesiastes 7:19–21
19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city. 20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. 21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Ecclesiastes 10:13–15
13 The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness. 14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him? 15 The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.
Sirach 6:1–3
1 Don’t become an enemy instead of a friend; for an evil name will inherit shame and reproach. So it is with the sinner who has a double tongue. (WEB) 2 Don’t exalt yourself in the counsel of your soul, that your soul not be torn in pieces like a bull. (WEB) 3 You will eat up yo… (WEB)
Job 31:15–17
15 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb? 16 If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail, 17 if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless—
Job 32:8–10
8 But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. 9 It is not only the old who are wise, or the elderly who understand justice. 10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I too will declare what I know.’
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