| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, | 1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh--an inspired utterance. This man's utterance to Ithiel: "I am weary, God, but I can prevail. |
| 2Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. | 2Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. |
| 3I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. | 3I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One. |
| 4Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? | 4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped 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? Surely you know! |
| 5Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. | 5"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. |
| 6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. | 6Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. |
| 7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: | 7"Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: |
| 8Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: | 8Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. |
| 9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. | 9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. |
| 10Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. | 10"Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it. |
| 11There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. | 11"There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; |
| 12There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. | 12those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth; |
| 13There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. | 13those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful; |
| 14There 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. | 14those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind. |
| 15The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: | 15"The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!': |
| 16The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. | 16the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!' |
| 17The 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. | 17"The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures. |
| 18There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: | 18"There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: |
| 19The 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 maid. | 19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman. |
| 20Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. | 20"This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.' |
| 21For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: | 21"Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: |
| 22For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; | 22a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, |
| 23For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress. | 23a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress. |
| 24There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: | 24"Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: |
| 25The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; | 25Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; |
| 26The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; | 26hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; |
| 27The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; | 27locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; |
| 28The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. | 28a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces. |
| 29There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: | 29"There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: |
| 30A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; | 30a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; |
| 31A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. | 31a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt. |
| 32If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. | 32"If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! |
| 33Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. | 33For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife." |
|
