| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1A discourse by the faithful collector. This is what this valiant man declared to the God with me, to the God with me, who then prevailed: | 1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man's oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: |
| 2Surely I am beyond the senselessness of any man; I do not perceive things the way human beings do. | 2I am more stupid than any other man, and I lack man's ability to understand. |
| 3I never acquired wisdom, but I know what the Holy One knows. | 3I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. |
| 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! | 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? |
| 5Everything God says is pure; he is a shield for those who take refuge in him. | 5Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to 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. | 6Don't add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. |
| 7God, I have asked you for two things— don't refuse me before I die— | 7Two things I ask of You; don't deny them to 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, | 8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 10Don't lie about a servant to his master, or that servant will curse you and you will pay for it. | 10Don't slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty. |
| 11Some people curse their fathers and won't bless their mothers. | 11There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. |
| 12Some people view themselves as pure, but haven't been cleansed from their own filth. | 12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth. |
| 13Some people —what an arrogant look they have!— raise their eyebrows haughtily. | 13There is a generation--how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks. |
| 14Some people have swords for teeth and knives for fangs to devour the afflicted from the earth and the needy from among mankind. | 14There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land 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"— | 15The leech has two daughters: "Give, Give!" Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough!": |
| 16The afterlife, the barren womb, earth that still demands water, and fire—they never say, "Enough". | 16Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, "Enough!" |
| 17The eye that mocks a father and looks with a disobedient attitude at a mother— the valley ravens will pluck it out; and vultures will eat it. | 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. |
| 18Three things cause wonder for me; four are beyond my understanding: | 18Three things are beyond me; four I can't understand: |
| 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. | 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. |
| 20This is what an immoral woman is like: she eats, wipes her mouth, then says "I've done nothing wrong." | 20This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I've done nothing wrong." |
| 21Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot remain steady: | 21The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: |
| 22Under a slave when he becomes a king, a fool when he is overfed, | 22a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food, |
| 23an unloved woman when she finds a husband, and a servant girl who inherits from her mistress. | 23an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen. |
| 24Four things on earth are small, but they are very, very wise: | 24Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: |
| 25Ants aren't a strong species, yet they prepare their food in the summer. | 25the ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer; |
| 26The rock badgers aren't a strong species either, yet they build their dens in the rocks. | 26hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; |
| 27Locusts have no king, but they all swarm in ranks. | 27locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks; |
| 28Spiders can be caught by the hand, yet they're found in kings' palaces. | 28a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings' palaces. |
| 29Three things are stately in procession, four which are stately in their gait: | 29Three things are stately in their stride, even four are stately in their walk: |
| 30The lion, mighty among the beasts, retreats before nothing. | 30a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn't retreat before anything, |
| 31The strutting rooster, as well as the goat, and a king with his army. | 31a strutting rooster, a goat, and a king at the head of his army. |
| 32If you've foolishly exalted yourself or if you've plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth. | 32If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you've been scheming, 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. | 33For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife. |
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