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

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.
¹² There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes,
and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
¹³ There is a generation,
O how lofty are their eyes!
and their eyelids are lifted up.
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 [not able to] 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 [wise among wise]:
²⁵ The ants are a people not strong,
yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
²⁶ The conies are but a feeble [not powerful] 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 [slender waist];
an he goat also;
and a king,
against whom there is no rising up [irresistible].

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.