The eye that mocks his father
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?
This is the word of Agur, who is more brutish than any human,
and who has no wisdom or knowledge.
Who has gone to or from heaven?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has collected water in his clothes?
Who has established the ends of the earth?
What is his name, or his son's name?
Can anyone answer these questions?
5
Every word of God is
pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Every word of God is pure. [1]
6
Add thou not unto his words,
lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Don't add to God's words. [2]
7
Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
Give me two (or maybe three) things before I die:
8
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:
Take away from me vanity and lies,
make me neither poor nor rich,
and feed me with convenient food.
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.
Otherwise I will be full and deny you, saying, "Who is God?"
Or I might be poor and take God's name in vain.
12
There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not
washed from their filthiness.
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, but is filthy.
13
There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are
lifted up.
There is a generation with lofty eyes and eyelids.
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.
There is a generation with sword-like teeth.
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.
The horseleach has two daughters, crying, "Give, Give."
There are three (or four) things that are never satisfied:
The grave, the barren womb, the earth that isn't filled with water, and
a fire that doesn't talk.
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.
If you mock your father or disobey your mother,
ravens will pick out your eyeball and eagles will eat it. [3]
18
There be three things
which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
There are three (or four) things that are too wonderful for me: [4]
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.
The flight of an eagle,
the way a serpent moves on a rock,
the way a ship moves on the sea,
and the way of man with a girl.
20
Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done
no wickedness.
That's the way of an adulterous woman:
she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, "I've done nothing wrong."
21
For three things the
earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
There are three (or four) things that the earth can't bear:
22
For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
A slave who becomes king,
a fool who is filled with food,
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.
an unpleasant woman who is married,
and a slave woman who replaces her master.
Notes
- Every word of God is pure. (v.5)
Well then, the Bible must not be the word of God.
See
Ezekiel 23:20 and Malachi 2:3 for just two examples
of the "pure word of God."
Is every word of God pure?
- Add thou not unto his words. (v.6)
The New World Translation inserts the
word 'other' four times in Colossians 1:16-17 (although it is not included in
the Greek) to support the Governing Body's denial of the divinity of Christ.
- 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. (v.17)
What the Bible says about children
- There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: 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."
One of the four "wonderful" things is "the way of a man with a maid. (vv.18-19)
As a sailor and
birdwatcher, though, I have to agree that the way an eagle flies and a ship
sails are two of the most wonderful things.
- Don't accuse a slave to his master.
- Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. 30:10