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.] O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
