long lasting;
The kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7A sated person disdains honey,
But to a hungry man anything bitter seems sweet.
8Like a sparrow wandering from its nest
Is a man who wanders from his home.
9Oil and incense gladden the heart,
And the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel.
10Do not desert your friend and your father’s friend;
Do not enter your brother’s house in your time of misfortune;
A close neighbor is better than a distant brother.
11Get wisdom, my son, and gladden my heart,
That I may have what to answer those who taunt me.
12The shrewd man saw trouble and took cover;
The simple kept going and paid the penalty.
13Seize his garment, for he stood surety for another;a
Take it as a pledge, [for he stood surety] for an unfamiliar woman.
14He who greets his fellow loudly early in the morning
Shall have it reckoned to him as a curse.
15An endless dripping on a rainy day
And a contentious wife are alike;
16As soon repress her as repress the wind,
Or declare one’s right hand to be oil.
17As iron sharpens iron
So a man sharpens the witb of his friend.
18He who tends a fig tree will enjoy its fruit,
And he who cares for his master will be honored.
19As face answers to face in water,
So does one man’s heart to another.
20Sheol and Abaddon cannot be satisfied,
Nor can the eyes of man be satisfied.
21For silver—the crucible, for gold—the furnace,
And a man is tested by his praise.
22Even if you pound the fool in a mortar
With a pestle along with grain,
His folly will not leave him.
23Mind well the looks of your flock;
Pay attention to your herds;
24For property does not last forever,
Or a crown for all generations.
25Grass vanishes, new grass appears,
And the herbage of the hills is gathered in.
26The lambs will provide you with clothing,
The he-goats, the price of a field.
27The goats’ milk will suffice for your food,
The food of your household,
And the maintenance of your maids.
28The wicked flee though no one gives chase,
But the righteous are as confident as a lion.
2When there is rebellion in the land, many are its rulers;
a-But with a man who has understanding and knowledge, stability will last.-a
3A poor man who withholds what is due to the wretched
Is like a destructive rain that leaves no food.
4Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked,
But those who heed instruction fight them.
5Evil men cannot discern judgment,
But those who seek the LORD discern all things.
6Better is a poor man who lives blamelessly
Than a rich man whose ways are crooked.
7An intelligent son heeds instruction,
But he who keeps company with gluttons disgraces his father.
8He who increases his wealth by loans at discount or interest
Amasses it for one who is generous to the poor.
9He who turns a deaf ear to instruction—
His prayer is an abomination.
10He who misleads the upright into an evil course
Will fall into his own pit,
But the blameless will prosper.
11A rich man is clever in his own eyes,
But a perceptive poor man can see through him.
12When the righteous exult there is great glory,
But when the wicked rise up men make themselves scarce.
13He who covers up his faults will not succeed;
He who confesses and gives them up will find mercy.
14Happy is the man who is anxious always,
But he who hardens his heart falls into misfortune.
15A roaring lion and a prowling bear
Is a wicked man ruling a helpless people.
16A prince who lacks understanding is very oppressive;
He who spurns ill-gotten gains will live long.
17A man oppressed by bloodguilt will flee to a pit;
Let none give him support.
18He who lives blamelessly will be delivered,
But he who is crooked in his ways will fall all at once.
19He who tills his land will have food in plenty.
But he who pursues vanities will have poverty in plenty.
20A dependable man will receive many blessings,
But one in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished.
21To be partial is not right;
A man may do wrong for a piece of bread.
22A miserly man runs after wealth;
He does not realize that loss will overtake it.
23He who reproves a man will in the end
Find more favor than he who flatters him.
24He who robs his father and mother and says, “It is no offense,”
Is a companion to vandals.
25A greedy man provokes quarrels,
But he who trusts the LORD shall enjoy prosperity.
26He who trusts his own instinct is a dullard,
But he who lives by wisdom shall escape.
27He who gives to the poor will not be in want,
But he who shuts his eyes will be roundly cursed.
28When the wicked rise up, men go into hiding,
But when they perish the righteous increase.
29 One oft reproved may become stiff-necked,
But he will be suddenly broken beyond repair.
2When the righteous become great the people rejoice,
But when the wicked dominate the people groan.
3A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
But he who keeps company with harlots will lose his wealth.
4By justice a king sustains the land,
But a fraudulent man tears it down.
5A man who flatters his fellow
Spreads a net for his feet.
6An evil man’s offenses are a trap for himself,
But the righteous sing out joyously.
7A righteous man is concerned with the cause of the wretched;
A wicked man cannot understand such concern.
8Scoffers inflame a city,
But the wise allay anger.
9When a wise man enters into litigation with a fool
There is ranting and ridicule, but no satisfaction.
10Bloodthirsty men detest the blameless,
But the upright seek them out.
11A dullard vents all his rage,
But a wise man calms it down.
12A ruler who listens to lies,
All his ministers will be wicked.
13A poor man and a fraudulent man meet;
The LORD gives luster to the eyes of both.
14A king who judges the wretched honestly,
His throne will be established forever.
15Rod and reproof produce wisdom,
But a lad out of control is a disgrace to his mother.
16When the wicked increase, offenses increase,
But the righteous will see their downfall.
17Discipline your son and he will give you peace;
He will gratify you with dainties.
18For lack of vision a people lose restraint,
But happy is he who heeds instruction.
19A slave cannot be disciplined by words;
Though he may comprehend, he does not respond.
20If you see a man hasty in speech,
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
21A slave pampered from youth
a-Will come to a bad end.-a
22An angry man provokes a quarrel;
A hot-tempered man commits many offenses.
23A man’s pride will humiliate him,
But a humble man will obtain honor.
24He who shares with a thief is his own enemy;
He hears the imprecation and does not tell.b
25A man’s fears become a trap for him,
But he who trusts in the LORD shall be safeguarded.
26Many seek audience with a ruler,
But it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.
27The unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh, [man of] Massa; The speech of
the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2I am brutish, less than a man;
I lack common sense.
3I have not learned wisdom,
Nor do I possess knowledge of the Holy One.
4Who has ascended heaven and come down?
Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hand?
Who has wrapped the waters in his garment?
Who has established all the extremities of the earth?
What is his name or his son’s name, if you know it?
5Every word of God is pure,
A shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6Do not add to His words,
Lest He indict you and you be proved a liar.
7Two things I ask of you; do not deny them to me before I die:
8Keep lies and false words far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches,
But provide me with my daily bread,
9Lest, being sated, I renounce, saying,
“Who is the LORD?”
Or, being impoverished, I take to theft
And profanea the name of my God.
10Do not inform on a slave to his master,
Lest he curse you and you incur guilt.
11 There is a breed of men that brings a curse on its fathers
And brings no blessing to its mothers,
12A breed that thinks itself pure,
Though it is not washed of its filth;
13A breed so haughty of bearing, so supercilious;
14A breed whose teeth are swords,
Whose jaws are knives,
Ready to devour the poor of the land,
The needy among men.
15The leech has two daughters, “Give!” and “Give!”
Three things are insatiable;
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16Sheol, a barren womb,
Earth that cannot get enough water,
And fire which never says, “Enough!”
17The eye that mocks a father
And disdains the homage due a mother—
The ravens of the brook will gouge it out,
Young eagles will devour it.
18Three things are beyond me;
Four I cannot fathom:
19How an eagle makes its way over the sky;
How a snake makes its way over a rock;
How a ship makes its way through the high seas;
How a man has his way with a maiden.
20Such is the way of an adulteress:
She eats, wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21The earth shudders at three things,
At four which it cannot bear:
22A slave who becomes king;
A scoundrel sated with food;
23A loathsome woman who gets married;
A slave-girl who supplants her mistress.
24Four are among the tiniest on earth,
Yet they are the wisest of the wise:
25Ants are a folk without power,
Yet they prepare food for themselves in summer;
26The badger is a folk without strength,
Yet it makes its home in the rock;
27The locusts have no king,
Yet they all march forth in formation;
28You can catch the lizardb in your hand,
Yet it is found in royal palaces.
29There are three that are stately of stride,
Four that carry themselves well:
30The lion is mightiest among the beasts,
And recoils before none;
31a-The greyhound, the he-goat,
The king whom none dares resist.-a
32If you have been scandalously arrogant,
If you have been a schemer,
Then clap your hand to your mouth.
33As milk under pressure produces butter,
And a nose under pressure produces blood,
So patience under pressure produces strife.
31 The words of Lemuel, king of Massa, with which his mother admonished him:
2No, my son!
No, O son of my womb!
No, O