The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; The oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:
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Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man;
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And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.
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Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest?
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Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.
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Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
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Two things have I asked of thee; Deny me [them] not before I die:
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Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:
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Lest I be full, and deny [thee], and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God.
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Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.
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There is a generation that curse their father, And bless not their mother.
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There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And [yet] are not washed from their filthiness.
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There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.
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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.
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The horseleach hath two daughters, [crying], Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, [Yea], four that say not, Enough:
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Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough.
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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.
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There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not:
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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 maiden.
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So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness.
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For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, [which] it cannot bear:
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For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;
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For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
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There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
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The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer;
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The conies are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the rocks;
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The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands;
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The lizard taketh hold with her hands, Yet is she in kings' palaces.
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There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going:
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The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any;
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The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.
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If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, [Lay] thy hand upon thy mouth.
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For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.
1 [To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
