The Oracle

1A discourse by the faithful collector.a

This is what this valiant man declared to the God with me,

to the God with me, who then prevailed:b

2Surely I am beyond the senselessness of any man;

I do not perceive thingsc the way human beings do.

3I never acquired wisdom,

but I know what the Holy One knows.

4Who has ascended to heaven,

and then descended?

Who has collected the wind in his hands?

Who has wrapped up waters in a garment?

Who has established all the farthest points of the earth?

What is his name,

and what is his son’s name?

Surely you know!

5Everything God says is pure;

he is a shield for those who take refuge in him.

6Don’t add to his words,

or he will rebuke you,

and you will be shown to be a liar.

On Contentment in Life

7God,d I have asked you for two things—

don’t refuse me before I die—

8Keep deception and lies far away from me,

and give me neither poverty nor wealth.

Feed me with food that I need for today,e

9so that I don’t become overfed and deny you by saying,

“Who is the LORD?”

or so that I don’t become poor and steal,

and then misuse the name of my God.

On Different Kinds of People

10Don’t lie about a servant to his master,

or that servantf will curse you and you will pay for it.

11Some peopleg curse their fathers

and won’t bless their mothers.

12Some peopleh view themselves as pure,

but haven’t been cleansed from their own filth.

13Some peoplei —what an arrogant look they have!—

raise their eyebrows haughtily.

14Some peoplej have swords for teeth

and knives for fangs

to devour the afflicted from the earth

and the needy from among mankind.

15The leech has two daughters:

“Give” and “Give”.

Three things will never be satisfied;

four will never say “Enough”—

16The afterlife,k the barren womb,

earth that still demands water,

and fire—they never say, “Enough”.

17The eye that mocks a father

and looks with a disobedient attitude atl a mother—

the valley ravens will pluck it out;

and vultures will eat it.

What Causes Wonder

18Three things cause wonder for me;

four are beyond my understanding:

19The way an eagle flies in the sky,

the way of a serpent on a rock,

the way of a ship on the high seas,

and the way of a man with a young woman.

20This is what an immoral woman is like:

she eats, wipes her mouth, then says

“I’ve done nothing wrong.”

21Under three things the earth trembles,

under four it cannot remain steady:

22Under a slave when he becomes a king,

a fool when he is overfed,

23an unloved woman when she finds a husband,

and a servant girl who inherits from her mistress.

24Four things on earth are small,

but they are very, very wise:

25Ants aren’t a strong species,m

yet they prepare their food in the summer.

26The rock badgers aren’t a strong speciesn either,

yet they build their dens in the rocks.

27Locusts have no king,

but they all swarm in ranks.

28Spiders can be caught by the hand,

yet they’re found in kings’ palaces.

29Three things are stately in procession,

four which are stately in their gait:

30The lion, mighty among the beasts,

retreats before nothing.

31The strutting rooster, as well as the goat,

and a king with his army.

32If you’ve foolishly exalted yourself

or if you’ve plotted evil,

put your hand over your mouth.

33Just as whipping milk produces butter,

and twisting the nose causes bleeding,

so also stirring up anger produces contention.