20 Wisdom literature often groups things in twos and fours, or in other numerical arrangements (e.g., Amos 1:3–2:6; Job 5:19; Prov 6:16–19).
21 Assuming that the contents of vv. 7–9 are a prayer, several English versions have supplied a vocative phrase: “O Lord” (); “O God” (); others have supplied a similar phrase without the vocative “O”: , “Lord”; “God.”
22 The two words might form a hendiadys: “falsehood and lies” being equivalent to “complete deception.” The word שָׁוְא means “false; empty; vain; to a false purpose.” The second word means “word of lying,” thus “a lying word.” Taken separately they might refer to false intentions and false words.
23 The word חֹק (khoq) means “statute”; it is also used of a definite assignment in labor (Exod 5:14; Prov 31:15), or of a set portion of food (Gen 47:22). Here it refers to food that is the proper proportion for the speaker.
24 Agur requested an honest life (not deceitful) and a balanced life (not self-sufficient). The second request about his provision is clarified in v. 9.
25 The verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) means “to be disappointing; to deceive; to fail; to grow lean.” In the Piel stem it means “to deceive; to act deceptively; to cringe; to disappoint.” The idea of acting deceptively is illustrated in Hos 9:2 where it has the connotation of “disowning” or “refusing to acknowledge” (a meaning very close to its meaning here).
26 The Hebrew verb literally means “to take hold of; to seize”; this produces the idea of doing violence to the reputation of God.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Two things I ask of you;

deny them not to me before I die:

Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the Lord?”

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, 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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Two things I ask of you;

don’t deny them to me before I die:

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor wealth;

feed me with the food I need.

Otherwise, 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.

NLTNew Living Translation

O God, I beg two favors from you;

let me have them before I die.

First, help me never to tell a lie.

Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!

Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”

And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Two things I ask from you;

do not deny me before I die:

Keep falsehood and a lying word far from me;

do not give me poverty or wealth;

provide me with food only for my need.

Or else I will be satisfied and will deny him

and say “Who is Yahweh?”

Or I will be poor and will steal

and profane the name of my God.

KJV 1900King James Version

Two things have I required of thee;

Deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies:

Give me neither poverty nor riches;

Feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest 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.

Public Domain