125 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
125 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
The Words of Agur
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# Chapter 30
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1. The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The pronouncement.
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The man's oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
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2. I am more stupid than any other person,
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and I lack a human's ability to understand.
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3. I have not gained wisdom,
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and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
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4. Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
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Who has gathered the wind in his hands?
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Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?
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Who has established all the ends of the earth?
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What is his name,
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and what is the name of his son--
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if you know?
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5. Every word of God is pure;
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he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
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6. Don't add to his words,
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or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.
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7. Two things I ask of you;
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don't deny them to me before I die:
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8. Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
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Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
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feed me with the food I need.
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9. Otherwise, I might have too much
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and deny you, saying, "Who is the Lord?"
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or I might have nothing and steal,
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profaning the name of my God.
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10. Don't slander a servant to his master
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or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.
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11. There is a generation that curses its father
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and does not bless its mother.
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12. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
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yet is not washed from its filth.
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13. There is a generation--how haughty its eyes
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and pretentious its looks.
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14. There is a generation whose teeth are swords,
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whose fangs are knives,
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devouring the oppressed from the land
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and the needy from among mankind.
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15. The leech has two daughters: "Give, Give!"
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Three things are never satisfied;
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four never say, "Enough!":
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16. Sheol; a childless womb;
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earth, which is never satisfied with water;
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and fire, which never says, "Enough!"
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17. As for the eye that ridicules a father
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and despises obedience to a mother,
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may ravens of the valley pluck it out
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and young vultures eat it.
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18. Three things are too wondrous for me;
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four I can't understand:
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19. the way of an eagle in the sky,
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the way of a snake on a rock,
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the way of a ship at sea,
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and the way of a man with a young woman.
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20. This is the way of an adulteress:
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she eats and wipes her mouth
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and says, "I've done nothing wrong."
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21. The earth trembles under three things;
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it cannot bear up under four:
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22. a servant when he becomes king,
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a fool when he is stuffed with food,
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23. an unloved woman when she marries,
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and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
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24. Four things on earth are small,
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yet they are extremely wise:
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25. ants are not a strong people,
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yet they store up their food in the summer;
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26. hyraxes are not a mighty people,
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yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
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27. locusts have no king,
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yet all of them march in ranks;
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28. a lizard can be caught in your hands,
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yet it lives in kings' palaces.
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29. Three things are stately in their stride;
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four are stately in their walk:
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30. a lion, which is mightiest among beasts
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and doesn't retreat before anything;
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31. a strutting rooster; a goat;
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and a king at the head of his army.
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32. If you have been foolish by exalting yourself
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or if you've been scheming,
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put your hand over your mouth.
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33. For the churning of milk produces butter,
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and twisting a nose draws blood,
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and stirring up anger produces strife.
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