| Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The pronouncement. The man's oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: | 1The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh; an oracle: This man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ukal: |
| 2I am more stupid than any other person, and I lack a human's ability to understand. | 2Surely I am more brutish than any other human being, and I do not have human understanding; |
| 3I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. | 3I have not learned wisdom, nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One. |
| 4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his hands? Who has bound 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--if you know? | 4Who has ascended into heaven, and then descended? Who has gathered up the winds in his fists? Who has bound up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name?--if you know! |
| 5Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. | 5Every word of God is purified; he is like a shield for those who take refuge in him. |
| 6Don't add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. | 6Do not add to his words, lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar. |
| 7Two things I ask of you; don't deny them to me before I die: | 7Two things I ask from you; do not refuse me before I die: |
| 8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. | 8Remove falsehood and lies far from me; do not give me poverty or riches, feed me with my allotted portion of bread, |
| 9Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, "Who is the LORD?" or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God. | 9lest I become satisfied and act deceptively and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I become poor and steal and demean the name of my God. |
| 10Don't slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty. | 10Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you are found guilty. |
| 11There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. | 11There is a generation who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. |
| 12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth. | 12There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness. |
| 13There is a generation--how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks. | 13There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully. |
| 14There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind. | 14There is a generation whose teeth are like swords and whose molars are like knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among the human race. |
| 15The leech has two daughters: "Give, Give!" Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!": | 15The leech has two daughters: "Give! Give!" There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, "Enough"-- |
| 16Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, "Enough!" | 16the grave, the barren womb, land that is not satisfied with water, and fire that never says, "Enough!" |
| 17As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it. | 17The eye that mocks at a father and despises obeying a mother--the ravens of the valley will peck it out and the young vultures will eat it. |
| 18Three things are too wondrous for me; four I can't understand: | 18There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not understand: |
| 19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a young woman. | 19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship in the sea, and the way of a man with a woman. |
| 20This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I've done nothing wrong." | 20This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I have not done wrong." |
| 21The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: | 21Under three things the earth trembles, and under four things it cannot bear up: |
| 22a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food, | 22under a servant who becomes king, under a fool who is stuffed with food, |
| 23an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen. | 23under an unloved woman who is married, and under a female servant who dispossesses her mistress. |
| 24Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: | 24There are four things on earth that are small, but they are exceedingly wise: |
| 25ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer; | 25ants are creatures with little strength, but they prepare their food in the summer; |
| 26hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; | 26rock badgers are creatures with little power, but they make their homes in the crags; |
| 27locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks; | 27locusts have no king, but they all go forward by ranks; |
| 28a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings' palaces. | 28a lizard you can catch with the hand, but it gets into the palaces of the king. |
| 29Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their walk: | 29There are three things that are magnificent in their step, four things that move about magnificently: |
| 30a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn't retreat before anything; | 30a lion, mightiest of the beasts, who does not retreat from anything; |
| 31a strutting rooster; a goat; and a king at the head of his army. | 31a strutting rooster, a male goat, and a king with his army around him. |
| 32If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you've been scheming, put your hand over your mouth. | 32If you have done foolishly by exalting yourself or if you have planned evil, put your hand over your mouth! |
| 33For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife. | 33For as the churning of milk produces butter and as punching the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. |
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