The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 The skeptic swore, "There is no God! No God! - I can do anything I want!
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The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: The man says to Ithiel, To Ithiel and Ucal:
2 I'm more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me.
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"Surely I am the most ignorant man, And don't have a man's understanding.
3 "I flunked 'wisdom.' I see no evidence of a holy God.
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I have not learned wisdom, Neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now - tell me!"
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Who has ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?
5 The believer replied, "Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help.
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"Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 So don't second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies."
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Don't you add to his words, Lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.
7 And then he prayed, "God, I'm asking for two things before I die; don't refuse me -
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"Two things I have asked of you; Don't deny me before I die:
8 Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.
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Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me;
9 If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God."
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Lest I be full, deny you, and say, 'Who is Yahweh?' Or lest I be poor, and steal, And so dishonor the name of my God.
10 Don't blow the whistle on your fellow workers behind their backs; They'll accuse you of being underhanded, and then you'll be the guilty one!
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"Don't slander a servant to his master, Lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 Don't curse your father or fail to bless your mother.
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There is a generation that curses their father, And doesn't bless their mother.
12 Don't imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven't had a bath in weeks.
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There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes, Yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 Don't be stuck-up and think you're better than everyone else.
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There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.
14 Don't be greedy, merciless and cruel as wolves, Tearing into the poor and feasting on them, shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.
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There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, And their jaws like knives, To devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.
15 A leech has twin daughters named "Gimme" and "Gimme more." Four Insatiables Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, "That's enough, thank you!" -
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"The leach has two daughters: 'Give, give.' "There are three things that are never satisfied; Four that don't say, 'Enough:'
16 hell, a barren womb, a parched land, a forest fire.
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Sheol, the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; The fire that doesn't say, 'Enough;'
17 An eye that disdains a father and despises a mother - that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures and consumed by young eagles. Four Mysteries
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And the eye that mocks at his father, And scorns obedience to his mother: The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, The young eagles shall eat it.
18 Three things amaze me, no, four things I'll never understand -
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"There are three things which are too amazing for me, Four which I don't understand:
19 how an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do.
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The way of an eagle in the air; The way of a serpent on a rock; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a man with a maiden.
20 Here's how a prostitute operates: she has sex with her client, Takes a bath, then asks, "Who's next?" Four Intolerables
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So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, 'I have done nothing wrong.'
21 Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations -
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"For three things the earth tremble, And under four, it can't bear up:
22 when the janitor becomes the boss, when a fool gets rich,
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For a servant when he is king; A fool when he is filled with food;
23 when a whore is voted "woman of the year," when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife. Four Small Wonders
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For an unloved woman when she is married; And a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.
24 There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are -
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"There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceeding wise:
25 ants - frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter;
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The ants are not a strong people, Yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 marmots - vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;
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The conies are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27 locusts - leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment;
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The locusts have no king, Yet they advance in ranks;
28 lizards - easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards. Four Dignitaries
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You can catch a lizard with your hands, Yet she is in kings' palaces.
29 There are three solemn dignitaries, four that are impressive in their bearing -
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"There are three things which are stately in their march, Four which are stately in going:
30 a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;
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The lion, which is mightiest among animals, And doesn't turn away for any;
31 a rooster, proud and strutting; a billy goat; a head of state in stately procession.
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The greyhound, the male goat also; And the king against whom there is no rising up.
32 If you're dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures,
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"If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, Or if you have thought evil, Put your hand over your mouth.
33 Don't be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights.
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For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, And the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; So the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.