Proverbs 30
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle. The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
Words of Agur, son of Jakeh, the burden, a declaration of the man to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.
2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man,
For I am more brutish than anyone, And do not have the understanding of a man.
3 and I have not learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy.
Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
4 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 thou know?
Who went up to the heavens, and comes down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His Name? And what [is] His Son’s Name? Surely you know!
5 Every word of God is tried. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
6 Add thou not to his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Do not add to His words, lest He reason with you, And you have been found false.
7 Two things I have asked of thee, deny me not before I die:
Two things I have asked from You, Do not withhold from me before I die.
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
Put vanity and a lying word far from me, Do not give poverty or wealth to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,
9 lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah? or lest I be poor, and steal, and use the name of my God profanely.
Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, “Who [is] YHWH?” And lest I am poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the Name of my God.
10 Slander not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.
Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
11 There is a generation who curses their father, and does not bless their mother.
A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
A generation—pure in their own eyes, But not washed from their own filth.
13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes, and their eyelids are lifted up.
A generation—how high are their eyes, Indeed, their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, and their jaw teeth, knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
A generation—their teeth [are] swords, And their jaw-teeth [are] knives, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.
15 The leach has two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four that do not say, Enough:
To the leech [are] two daughters—Give! Give! Behold, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said “Sufficiency”;
16 Sheol, and the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that does not say, Enough. (Sheol h7585)
Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth—it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire—it has not said, “Sufficiency,” (Sheol h7585)
17 The eye that mocks at his father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
An eye that mocks at a father, And despises to obey a mother, Ravens of the valley dig it out, And young eagles eat it.
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
Three things have been too wonderful for me, Indeed, four that I have not known:
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 maiden.
The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.
20 So is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done no iniquity.
So—the way of an adulterous woman, She has eaten and has wiped her mouth, And has said, “I have not done iniquity.”
21 For three things the earth trembles, and for four, which it cannot bear:
For three things has earth been troubled, And for four—it is not able to bear:
22 For a servant when he is king, and a fool when he is filled with food,
For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23 for a hateful woman when she is married, and a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
24 There are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:
Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer,
The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare their food in summer,
26 the conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks,
hyraxes [are] a people not strong, And they place their house in a rock,
27 the locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands,
There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
28 the lizard takes hold with her hands, yet she is in kings' palaces.
A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29 There are three things which are stately in their march, yea, four which are stately in going:
There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, and turns not away from any,
An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
31 the greyhound, also the he-goat, and the king against whom there is no rising up.
A girt one of the loins, Also a male goat, And a king—troops with him.
32 If thou have done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou have thought evil, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.
If you have been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to mouth!
33 For the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood, so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife.
For the churning of milk brings out butter, And the wringing of the nose brings out blood, And the forcing of anger brings out strife!
