كلام أجور
1 هذا كلامُ أجورَ بنِ ياقةَ مِنْ مَسَّا:
قالَ هذا الرَّجلُ لإيثيئيلَ، لإيثيئيلَ وأُكَّالَ:
2 أنا أغبـى النَّاسِ، وتُعوزُني فِطنَةُ البشَرِ.
3 ما تعَلَّمْتُ الحِكمةَ ولا عرَفْتُ شيئا عَنِ القدُّوسِ.
4 مَنْ صَعِدَ إلى السَّماءِ ونَزَلَ؟
مَنْ جمَعَ الرِّيحَ في راحَتَيهِ؟
مَنْ حصَرَ المياهَ في ثَوبٍ؟
مَنْ أقامَ جميعَ أطرافِ الأرضِ؟
ما اسْمُهُ؟ ما اسْمُ ابنِهِ إنْ كُنتَ تعرفُ؟
5 كلامُ اللهِ نَقيٌّ كُلُّهُ، واللهُ دِرْعٌ للمُحتَمينَ بهِ.
6 لا تَزِدْ على كَلامِ اللهِ. لئلاَّ يُوَبِّخَكَ فتَظهَرَ كاذبا.
أمثال أخرى
7 شيئينِ طَلبتُ مِنكَ يا اللهُ، فلا تمنَعْهُما عنِّي قَبلَ أنْ أموتَ: 8 أبعِدْ عنِّي السُّوءَ والكذِبَ. لا تُعطني فَقْرا ولا غِنىً. بل ارزِقْني مِنَ الخبزِ ما أستَحِقُّ 9 لِئلاَّ أشبَعَ فأكفُرَ وأقولَ مَنْ هوَ الرّبُّ؟ أو لِئلاَّ أفتَقِرَ فأسرِقَ وأُدَنِّسَ اسمَ إلهي.
10 لا تَشْكُ عبدا إلى سيِّدِهِ، لئلاَّ يَلعَنَكَ ويَشمَتَ بِكَ.
11 هُناكَ جيلٌ يَلعَنُ أباهُ ولا يُبارِكُ أُمَّهُ.
12 هُناكَ جيلٌ يَرى نفْسَه طاهرا، وهوَ مِنْ وسَخِهِ لا يَغتَسِلُ.
13 هُناكَ جيلٌ مُتَرَفِّعُ العُيونِ ومُتَعالي الجُفونِ.
14 هُناكَ جيلٌ أسنانُهُ حِرابٌ وأضراسُهُ سكاكينُ، فيأكُلُ المَساكينَ في الأرضِ والبؤساءَ بَينَ البشَرِ.
15 للعَلَقَةِ بِنتان تَقولانِ: «هاتِ، هاتِ». هُناكَ ثلاثٌ لا تَشبَعُ، والرَّابِــعةُ لا تقولُ «كفَى»: 16 عالَمُ الأمواتِ والرَّحِمُ العقيمةُ، والأرضُ الّتي لا تَرتَوي، والنَّارُ المُشتَعِلَةُ. 17 العينُ المُستَهزِئَةُ بالأبِ والمُستَخِفَّةُ بإطاعةِ الأمِّ تَنقُرُها غُربانُ الوادي وتأكُلُها فِراخُ النَّسْرِ.
18 هُناكَ ثلاثةٌ ما أعجَبَها في نظَري، والرَّابعُ لا أُدركُهُ: 19 طَيَرانُ النَّسْرِ في السَّماءِ، وزَحْفُ الحَيَّةِ على الصَّخرِ، وسَيرُ السَّفينَةِ في عُرْضِ البحرِ، وطريقُ الرَّجلِ إلى قلبِ المَرأةِ، 20 وهُنالكَ خامِسٌ: سُلوكُ المَرأةِ الزَّانيةِ. فهيَ تَزني وتغتَسِلُ وتقولُ: «ما فعَلْتُ إثْما».
21 تَحتَ ثلاثةٍ تَرتَجُّ الأرضُ، وتحتَ الرَّابعِ لا تَقوى على الاحتِمالِ: 22 عبدٌ صارَ مَلِكا، وخامِلٌ شَبِـعَ خُبزا، 23 وامرأةٌ قبـيحَةٌ تزَوَّجَت، وخادِمَةٌ وَرِثَت سيِّدَتَها.
24 أربَعَةٌ هيَ الصُّغرى في الأرضِ، ولكِنَّها حكيمةٌ جِدًّا: 25 النَّمْلُ جماعةٌ لا قُوَّةَ لها، لكِنَّهُ يُهَيِّئُ في الصَّيفِ طَعامَهُ. 26 والوِبارُ جماعةٌ لا قُدرَةَ لها، لكِنَّها تَجعَلُ في الصَّخْرِ بُيوتَها. 27 والجَرادُ لا مَلِكَ لَه، لكِنَّهُ يَزحَفُ صَفًّا صَفًّا. 28 والعَنكبوتُ تُمسِكُ بالأيدي وهيَ في قُصورِ المُلوكِ.
29 ثلاثَةٌ جَليلَةُ الخَطَواتِ، والرَّابِــعةُ حسَنَةُ السَّيرِ: 30 الأسدُ جبَّارُ البَهائِمِ، وهوَ لا يَرجِـعُ مِنْ وَجهِ أحدٍ، 31 والدِّيكُ والتَّيسُ والمَلِكُ أمامَ قَومِهِ.
32 إنْ رفَعْتَ نفسَكَ تكبُّرا، أو شَمَخْتَ بِأنفِكَ، فضَعْ يدَكَ على قلبِكَ، 33 لأنَّ خَضَّ اللَّبَنِ يُخرِجُ الزُّبدَةَ، ودَلْكِ الأنفِ يُخرِجُ الدَّمَ، وهياجَ الغضَبِ يَبعَثُ الخِصامَ.
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.