Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New Revised Standard NRS
1 The words of Gatherer the son of Vomiter. The vision which the man spoke, with whom God is, and who being strengthened by God, abiding with him, said:
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The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle. Thus says the man: I am weary, O God, I am weary, O God. How can I prevail?
2 I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
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Surely I am too stupid to be human; I do not have human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom, and have not known the science of saints.
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I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? who hath held the wind in his hands? who hath bound up the waters together as in a garment? who hath raised up all the borders of the earth? what is his name, and what is the name of his son, if thou knowest?
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Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is the person's name? And what is the name of the person's child? Surely you know!
5 Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him.
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Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved and found a liar:
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Do not add to his words, or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.
7 Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not to me before I die.
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Two things I ask of you; do not deny them to me before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity, and lying words. Give me neither beggary, nor riches: give me only the necessaries of life:
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Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need,
9 Lest perhaps being filled, I should be tempted to deny, and say: Who is the Lord? or being compelled by poverty, I should steal, and forswear the name of my God.
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or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, "Who is the Lord?" or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.
10 Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou fall.
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Do not slander a servant to a master, or the servant will curse you, and you will be held guilty.
11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
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There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
12 A generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
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There are those who are pure in their own eyes yet are not cleansed of their filthiness.
13 A generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high.
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There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift!—
14 A generation that for teeth hath swords, and grindeth with their jaw teeth, to devour the needy from off the earth, and the poor from among men.
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there are those whose teeth are swords, whose teeth are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mortals.
15 The horseleech hath two daughters that say: Bring, bring. There are three things that never are satisfied, and the fourth never saith: It is enough.
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The leech has two daughters; "Give, give," they cry. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough":
16 Hell and the mouth of the womb, and the earth which is not satisfied with water: and the fire never saith: It is enough.
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Sheol, the barren womb, the earth ever thirsty for water, and the fire that never says, "Enough."
17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.
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The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.
18 Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of.
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Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand:
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 in youth.
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the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a girl.
20 Such also is the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
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This is the way of an adulteress: she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."
21 By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear.
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Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up:
22 By a slave when he reigneth: by a fool when be is filled with meat:
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a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when glutted with food;
23 By an odious woman when she is married: and by a bondwoman when she is heir to her mistress.
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an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.
24 There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise.
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Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
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the ants are a people without strength, yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock:
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the badgers are a people without power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;
27 The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands:
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the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank;
28 The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth in kings’ houses.
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the lizard can be grasped in the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.
29 There are three things, which go well, and the fourth that walketh happily:
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Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their gait:
30 A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth:
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the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals and does not turn back before any;
31 A cock girded about the loins: and a ram: and a king, whom none can resist.
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the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king striding before his people.
32 There is that hath appeared a fool after he was lifted up on high: for if he had understood, he would have laid his hand upon his mouth.
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If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.
33 And he that strongly squeezeth the paps to bring out milk, straineth out butter: and he that violently bloweth his nose, bringeth out blood: and he that provoketh wrath, bringeth forth strife.
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For as pressing milk produces curds, and pressing the nose produces blood, so pressing anger produces strife.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.