1 The words of Aḡur son of Yaqeh, a message.
This man declared to Ithi’ĕl, to Ithi’ĕl and Uḵal:
2 For I am more stupid than anyone,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
3 And I have not learned wisdom
That I should know the knowledge of the Qadosh One.
4 Who has gone up to the shamayim and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who established all the ends of the earth?
What is His Name, and what is the Name of His Bĕn,
If you know?
5 Every Word of Eloah is refined;
He is a shield to those taking refuge in Him.
6 Do not add to His Words,
Lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar.
7 Two I have asked of You – do not deny them to me before I die:
8 Remove falsehood and a lying word far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me my portion of bread;
9 Lest becoming satisfied and I deny, and I say,
“Who is 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄?”
And lest I be poor, and steal,
And seize the Name of my Elohim.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not baraḵ its mother –
12 There is a generation, clean in its own eyes,
But not washed from its own filth.
13 There is a generation; oh, how haughty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,
And whose jaw-teeth are knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from men.
15 The leech has two daughters: “Give! Give!”
Three are not satisfied,
Four that never say, “Enough”:
16 The grave, and the barren womb,
Land not satisfied with water,
And fire which never says, “Enough.”
17 An eye that mocks his father,
And scorns to obey his mother –
Ravens of the wadi dig it out,
And young eagles eat it!
18 Three are too marvellous for me,
And four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the shamayim,
The way of a snake on a rock,
The way of a ship in the heart of the sea,
And the way of a man with a girl.
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She shall eat and wipe her mouth,
And say, “I have not done wickedness.”
21 Under three the earth trembles,
And under four, it is unable to bear:
22 Under a servant when he reigns,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under a hated woman who marries,
And a female servant who supplants her mistress.
24 There are four Which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The rock badgers are a weak folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27 The locusts have no sovereign,
Yet they all go out in formation;
28 A spider takes hold with two hands,
And is in sovereigns’ palaces.
29 There are three
That are going well,
And four are good in walking:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from facing all;
31 A greyhound, and a male goat,
And a sovereign whose army is with him.
32 If you have been foolish in lifting up yourself,
Or if you have plotted evil,
Put your hand on your mouth.
33 For as milk under pressure brings forth curds,
And as a nose under pressure brings forth blood,
So wrath under pressure brings forth strife.