27 Do not boast about tomorrow,

yfor you do not know what a day may bring.

2  Let zanother praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips.

3  A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but aa fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

4  Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before bjealousy?

5  cBetter is open rebuke

than hidden love.

6  Faithful are dthe wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

7  One who is full loathes ehoney,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.

8  Like fa bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home.

9  gOil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.1

10  Do not forsake your friend and hyour father’s friend,

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

iBetter is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away.

11  jBe wise, kmy son, and lmake my heart glad,

that I may manswer him who reproaches me.

12  nThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but othe simple go on and suffer for it.

13  pTake a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.2

14  Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing.

15  qA continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike;

16  to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp3 oil in one’s right hand.

17  Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another.4

18  rWhoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who sguards his master will be honored.

19  As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man.

20  tSheol and Abaddon are unever satisfied,

and vnever satisfied are the eyes of man.

21  wThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise.

22  xCrush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

along with crushed grain,

yet his folly will not depart from him.

23  yKnow well the condition of your flocks,

and ygive attention to your herds,

24  for zriches do not last forever;

and does a crown endure to all generations?

25  aWhen the grass is gone and the new growth appears

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,

26  bthe lambs will provide your clothing,

and the goats the price of a field.

27  bThere will be enough goats’ milk for your food,

for the food of your household

and maintenance for your girls.

28 cThe wicked flee when no one pursues,

but dthe righteous are bold as a lion.

2  When a land transgresses, eit has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

3  fA poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

4  Those who forsake the law gpraise the wicked,

but those who keep the law hstrive against them.

5  Evil men ido not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord junderstand it completely.

6  kBetter is a poor man who lwalks in his integrity

than a rich man who is lcrooked in his ways.

7  The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but ma companion of gluttons shames his father.

8  Whoever multiplies his wealth nby interest and profit1

ogathers it for him who is pgenerous to the poor.

9  If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his qprayer is an abomination.

10  Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

rwill fall into his own pit,

but the blameless swill have a goodly inheritance.

11  A rich man is wise in his town eyes,

but a poor man who has understanding uwill find him out.

12  When vthe righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when wthe wicked rise, people hide themselves.

13  Whoever xconceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who yconfesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14  Blessed is the one who zfears the Lord2 always,

but whoever ahardens his heart will fall into calamity.

15  Like ba roaring lion or ca charging bear

is da wicked ruler over a poor people.

16  A ruler who elacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

17  If one is burdened with fthe blood of another,

he will be a fugitive until death;3

let no one help him.

18  gWhoever hwalks in integrity will be delivered,

but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

19  iWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

20  A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens to be rich jwill not go unpunished.

21  To show kpartiality is not good,

but for la piece of bread a man will do wrong.

22  A mstingy man4 nhastens after wealth

and does not know that opoverty will come upon him.

23  Whoever prebukes a man will afterward find more favor

than qhe who flatters with his tongue.

24  Whoever robs his father or his mother

and says, “That is no transgression,”

is ra companion to a man who destroys.

25  A greedy man sstirs up strife,

but the one who trusts in the Lord will tbe enriched.

26  Whoever utrusts in his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

27  Whoever vgives to the poor will not want,

but he who whides his eyes will get many a curse.

28  When xthe wicked rise, ypeople hide themselves,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.

29 zHe who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,

will suddenly be abroken bbeyond healing.

2  When cthe righteous increase, the people rejoice,

but when dthe wicked rule, the people groan.

3  He who eloves wisdom makes his father glad,

but fa companion of prostitutes gsquanders his wealth.

4  By justice a king hbuilds up the land,

but he who exacts gifts1 tears it down.

5  iA man who flatters his neighbor

spreads ja net for his feet.

6  An evil man is kensnared in his transgression,

but a righteous man lsings and rejoices.

7  A righteous man mknows the rights of the poor;

a wicked man does not nunderstand such knowledge.

8  oScoffers set a city aflame,

but the wise turn away wrath.

9  If a wise man has an argument with a fool,

the fool only rages and laughs, and there is pno quiet.

10  Bloodthirsty men qhate one who is blameless

and seek the life of the upright.2

11  A fool gives full vent to his spirit,

but a wise man quietly holds it back.

12  If a ruler listens to falsehood,

all his officials will be wicked.

13  The poor man and the oppressor rmeet together;

the Lord sgives light to the eyes of both.

14  If a king tfaithfully judges the poor,

his throne will ube established forever.

15  vThe rod and reproof give wisdom,

but a child left to himself wbrings shame to his mother.

16  When the wicked increase, transgression increases,

but xthe righteous will look upon their downfall.

17  yDiscipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will give delight to your heart.

18  Where zthere is no prophetic vision the people acast off restraint,3

but blessed is he who bkeeps the law.

19  By mere words a servant is not disciplined,

for though he understands, he will not respond.

20  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?

cThere is more hope for a fool than for him.

21  Whoever pampers his servant from childhood

will in the end find him his heir.4

22  dA man of wrath stirs up strife,

and one given to anger causes much transgression.

23  eOne’s pride will bring him low,

fbut he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

24  The partner of a thief ghates his own life;

hhe hears the curse, but discloses nothing.

25  iThe fear of man lays a snare,

but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

26  Many jseek the face of a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that a man kgets justice.

27  lAn unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,

but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.1

The man declares, I am weary, O God;

I am weary, O God, and worn out.2

2  Surely I am too mstupid to be a man.

I have not the understanding of a man.

3  I have not learned wisdom,

nor have I knowledge of nthe Holy One.

4  Who has oascended to heaven and come down?

Who has pgathered the wind in his fists?

Who has qwrapped up the waters in a garment?

Who has established all rthe ends of the earth?

sWhat is his name, and what is his son’s name?

Surely you know!

5  tEvery word of God proves true;

he is ua shield to those who take refuge in him.

6  vDo not add to his words,

lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

7  Two things I ask of you;

deny them not to me wbefore I die:

8  Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is xneedful for me,

9  lest I be yfull and zdeny you

and say, a“Who is the Lord?”

or lest I be poor and steal

band profane the name of my God.

10  cDo not slander a servant to his master,

dlest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

11  There are those3 who ecurse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

12  There are those who are fclean in their own eyes

but are not washed of their filth.

13  There are those—how glofty are their eyes,

how high their eyelids lift!

14  There are those whose teeth are hswords,

whose ifangs are knives,

to jdevour the poor from off the earth,

the needy from among mankind.

15  The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.4

kThree things are never satisfied;

kfour never say, “Enough”:

16  lSheol, mthe barren womb,

the land never satisfied with water,

and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

17  The eye that nmocks a father

and oscorns to obey a mother

will pbe picked out by qthe ravens of the valley

and eaten by the vultures.

18  kThree things are rtoo wonderful for me;

kfour I do not understand:

19  the way of an eagle 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 virgin.

20  This is the way of an adulteress:

she eats and wipes her mouth

and says, “I have done no wrong.”

21  Under kthree things sthe earth trembles;

under kfour it cannot bear up:

22  ta slave when he becomes king,

and a fool when he is ufilled with food;

23  van unloved woman when she wgets a husband,

and a maidservant when