Utterances of Agur. Personal testimony
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The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh-an oracle: This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
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Surely I am more like an animal than any human and I do not have the understanding of a human being.
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I have not learned wisdom, nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One.
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Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has gathered up the waters in a 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!
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Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
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Do not add to his words, or he will discipline you, and you will be proved to be a liar.
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Two things I ask of you, do not withhold them from me before I die:
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Put vanity and lies far away from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches, just give me the food I need.
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For if I have too much, I might deny you and say, “Who is Yahweh?” Or if I become poor, I might steal and profane the name of my God.
Numerical parables
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Do not slander a slave before his master, or he will curse you and you will be held guilty.
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There is a generation that curses their father and does not bless their mother.
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There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, and yet they are not washed of their filth.
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There is a generation whose eyes are raised up, and how high are their eyelids lifted up!
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There is a generation whose teeth are swords, and their jawbones are like knives, so they may devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.
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The leech has two daughters: “Give and give” they cry. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, “Enough”:
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Sheol; the barren womb; land that is never satisfied with water; and the fire that never says, “Enough!”
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The eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, and he will be eaten by the vultures.
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There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not understand:
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the way of an eagle in the sky; the way of a snake on a rock; the way of a ship in the heart of the sea; and the way of a man with a young woman.
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This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and she wipes her mouth and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”
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Under three things the earth trembles, and under four it cannot bear up:
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a slave when he becomes king; a fool when he is filled with food;
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a hated woman when she marries; and a maid when she takes the place of her mistress.
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Four things on earth are small and yet they are very wise:
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The ants are creatures that are not strong, but they prepare their food in the summer;
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the rock badgers are not mighty creatures, but they make their homes in the rocks.
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Locusts have no king, but all of them march in rank.
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As for the lizard, you can hold it in your two hands, yet they are found in kings’ palaces.
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There are three things that are stately in their stride and four that are stately in how they walk:
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A lion, strongest among wild animals-it does not turn away from anything;
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a strutting rooster; a goat; and a king whose soldiers are beside him.
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If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil-put your hand over your mouth.
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As churning milk makes butter and as one’s nose will produce blood if it is twisted, so deeds done in anger produce conflict.
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