1 Τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους, υἱέ, φοβήθητι
καὶ δεξάμενος αὐτοὺς μετανόει·
τάδε λέγει ὁ ἀνὴρ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν θεῷ, καὶ παύομαι·
2 ἀφρονέστατος γάρ εἰμι πάντων ἀνθρώπων,
καὶ φρόνησις ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί·
3 θεὸς δεδίδαχέν με σοφίαν,
καὶ γνῶσιν ἁγίων ἔγνωκα.
4 τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κατέβη;
τίς συνήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐν κόλπῳ;
τίς συνέστρεψεν ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ;
τίς ἐκράτησεν πάντων τῶν ἄκρων τῆς γῆς;
τί ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ἢ τί ὄνομα τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτοῦ, ἵνα γνῷς;
5 πάντες λόγοι θεοῦ πεπυρωμένοι,
ὑπερασπίζει δὲ αὐτὸς τῶν εὐλαβουμένων αὐτόν·
6 μὴ προσθῇς τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ,
ἵνα μὴ ἐλέγξῃ σε καὶ ψευδὴς γένῃ.
7 δύο αἰτοῦμαι παρὰ σοῦ,
μὴ ἀφέλῃς μου χάριν πρὸ τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν με·
8 μάταιον λόγον καὶ ψευδῆ μακράν μου ποίησον,
πλοῦτον δὲ καὶ πενίαν μή μοι δῷς,
σύνταξον δέ μοι τὰ δέοντα καὶ τὰ αὐτάρκη,
9 ἵνα μὴ πλησθεὶς ψευδὴς γένωμαι καὶ εἴπω Τίς με ὁρᾷ;
ἢ πενηθεὶς κλέψω καὶ ὀμόσω τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ.
10 μὴ παραδῷς οἰκέτην εἰς χεῖρας δεσπότου.
μήποτε καταράσηταί σε καὶ ἀφανισθῇς.
11 ἔκγονον κακὸν πατέρα καταρᾶται,
τὴν δὲ μητέρα οὐκ εὐλογεῖ·
12 ἔκγονον κακὸν δίκαιον ἑαυτὸν κρίνει,
τὴν δὲ ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀπένιψεν·
13 ἔκγονον κακὸν ὑψηλοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχει,
τοῖς δὲ βλεφάροις αὐτοῦ ἐπαίρεται·
14 ἔκγονον κακὸν μαχαίρας τοὺς ὀδόντας ἔχει
καὶ τὰς μύλας τομίδας, ὥστε ἀναλίσκειν
καὶ κατεσθίειν τοὺς ταπεινοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς
καὶ τοὺς πένητας αὐτῶν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων.
15 Τῇ βδέλλῃ τρεῖς θυγατέρες ἦσαν ἀγαπήσει ἀγαπώμεναι,
καὶ αἱ τρεῖς αὗται οὐκ ἐνεπίμπλασαν αὐτήν,
καὶ ἡ τετάρτη οὐκ ἠρκέσθη εἰπεῖν Ἱκανόν·
16 ᾅδης καὶ ἔρως γυναικὸς
καὶ τάρταρος καὶ γῆ οὐκ ἐμπιπλαμένη ὕδατος
καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ οὐ μὴ εἴπωσιν Ἀρκεῖ.
17 ὀφθαλμὸν καταγελῶντα πατρὸς καὶ ἀτιμάζοντα γῆρας μητρός,
ἐκκόψαισαν αὐτὸν κόρακες ἐκ τῶν φαράγγων,
καὶ καταφάγοισαν αὐτὸν νεοσσοὶ ἀετῶν.
18 τρία δέ ἐστιν ἀδύνατά μοι νοῆσαι,
καὶ τὸ τέταρτον οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκω·
19 ἴχνη ἀετοῦ πετομένου
καὶ ὁδοὺς ὄφεως ἐπὶ πέτρας
καὶ τρίβους νηὸς ποντοπορούσης
καὶ ὁδοὺς ἀνδρὸς ἐν νεότητι.
20 τοιαύτη ὁδὸς γυναικὸς μοιχαλίδος,
ἥ, ὅταν πράξῃ, ἀπονιψαμένη οὐδέν φησιν πεπραχέναι ἄτοπον.
21 διὰ τριῶν σείεται ἡ γῆ,
τὸ δὲ τέταρτον οὐ δύναται φέρειν·
22 ἐὰν οἰκέτης βασιλεύσῃ,
καὶ ἄφρων πλησθῇ σιτίων,
23 καὶ οἰκέτις ἐὰν ἐκβάλῃ τὴν ἑαυτῆς κυρίαν,
καὶ μισητὴ γυνὴ ἐὰν τύχῃ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ.
24 τέσσαρα δέ ἐστιν ἐλάχιστα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς,
ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν σοφώτερα τῶν σοφῶν·
25 οἱ μύρμηκες, οἷς μὴ ἔστιν ἰσχὺς
καὶ ἑτοιμάζονται θέρους τὴν τροφήν·
26 καὶ οἱ χοιρογρύλλιοι, ἔθνος οὐκ ἰσχυρόν,
οἳ ἐποιήσαντο ἐν πέτραις τοὺς ἑαυτῶν οἴκους·
27 ἀβασίλευτόν ἐστιν ἡ ἀκρὶς
καὶ ἐκστρατεύει ἀφ᾽ ἑνὸς κελεύσματος εὐτάκτως·
28 καὶ καλαβώτης χερσὶν ἐρειδόμενος καὶ εὐάλωτος ὢν
κατοικεῖ ἐν ὀχυρώμασιν βασιλέως.
29 τρία δέ ἐστιν, ἃ εὐόδως πορεύεται,
καὶ τὸ τέταρτον, ὃ καλῶς διαβαίνει·
30 σκύμνος λέοντος ἰσχυρότερος κτηνῶν,
ὃς οὐκ ἀποστρέφεται οὐδὲ καταπτήσσει κτῆνος,
31 καὶ ἀλέκτωρ ἐμπεριπατῶν θηλείαις εὔψυχος
καὶ τράγος ἡγούμενος αἰπολίου
καὶ βασιλεὺς δημηγορῶν ἐν ἔθνει.
32 ἐὰν πρόῃ σεαυτὸν εἰς εὐφροσύνην
καὶ ἐκτείνῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου μετὰ μάχης, ἀτιμασθήσῃ.
33 ἄμελγε γάλα, καὶ ἔσται βούτυρον·
ἐὰν δὲ ἐκπιέζῃς μυκτῆρας, ἐξελεύσεται αἷμα·
ἐὰν δὲ ἐξέλκῃς λόγους, ἐξελεύσονται κρίσεις καὶ μάχαι.
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 4 Who 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? 5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 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 .
10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. 11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 14 There 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.
15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying , Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea , four things say not, It is enough: 16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. 17 The 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.
18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: 19 The 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. 20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. 21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: 22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; 23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: 30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; 31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. 32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. 33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.