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The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh – an inspired utterance. This man’s utterance to Ithiel: “I am weary, God, but I can prevail.
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Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding.
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I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.
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Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped 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 flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
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Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
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“Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
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Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
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Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
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“Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.
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“There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;
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those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
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those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;
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those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind.
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“The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’;
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the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
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“The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.
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“There are three things that are too amazing 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 on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.
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“This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’
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“Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:
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a servant who become king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
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a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress.
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“Four things on earth are small, yet they store up their food in the summer;
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Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
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hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;
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locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
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a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
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“There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:
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a lion, mighty among the beasts, who retreats before nothing;
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a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt.
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“If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!
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For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.”
