Proverbs 30
1 The words of the Gatherer, the son of the Vomiter. The vision that the man spoke. God is with him, and he, being strengthened by God and abiding with him, said:
The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh, from Massa. The man says: I am full of weariness, O God, I am full of weariness; O God, I have come to an end:
2 “I am the most foolish among men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
For I am more like a beast than any man, I have no power of reasoning like a man:
3 I have not learned wisdom, and I have not known the knowledge of sanctity.
I have not got wisdom by teaching, so that I might have the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended to heaven and also descended? Who has grasped the wind in his hands? Who has tied the waters together, as with a garment? Who has raised all the limits of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son, if you know?
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? who has taken the winds in his hands, prisoning the waters in his robe? by whom have all the ends of the earth been fixed? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you are able to say?
5 Every word of God is fire-tested. He is a bronze shield to those who hope in him.
Every word of God is tested: he is a breastplate to those who put their faith in him.
6 Do not add anything to his words, lest you be reproved and be discovered to be a liar.
Make no addition to his words, or he will make clear your error, and you will be seen to be false.
7 Two things I have asked of you; do not deny them to me before I die.
I have made request to you for two things; do not keep them from me before my death:
8 Remove, far from me, vanity and lying words. Give me neither begging, nor wealth. Apportion to me only the necessities of my life,
Put far from me all false and foolish things: do not give me great wealth or let me be in need, but give me only enough food:
9 lest perhaps, being filled, I might be enticed into denial, and say: ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or, being compelled by destitution, I might steal, and then perjure myself in the name of my God.
For fear that if I am full, I may be false to you and say, Who is the Lord? or if I am poor, I may become a thief, using the name of my God wrongly.
10 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, lest he curse you, and you fall.
Do not say evil of a servant to his master, or he will put a curse on you, and you will get into trouble.
11 There is a generation which curses their father, and which does not bless their mother.
There is a generation who put a curse on their father, and do not give a blessing to their mother.
12 There is a generation which seems pure to themselves, and yet they are not even washed from their filthiness.
There is a generation who seem to themselves to be free from sin, but are not washed from their unclean ways.
13 There is a generation, whose eyes have been elevated, and their eyelids are lifted on high.
There is a generation, O how full of pride are their eyes! O how their brows are lifted up!
14 There is a generation which has swords in place of teeth, and which commands their molars to devour the indigent from the earth and the poor from among men.
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, their strong teeth like knives, for the destruction of the poor from the earth, and of those who are in need from among men.
15 The leech has two daughters, who say, ‘Bring, bring.’ Three things are insatiable, and a fourth never says ‘Enough’:
The night-spirit has two daughters, Give, give. There are three things which are never full, even four which never say, Enough:
16 Hell, and the mouth of the womb, and a land that is not filled with water. And truly, fire never says, ‘Enough.’ (Sheol h7585)
The underworld, and the woman without a child; the earth which never has enough water, and the fire which never says, Enough. (Sheol h7585)
17 The eye of one who mocks his father and who despises the childbearing of his mother, let the ravens of the torrent tear it out, and let the sons of the eagles consume it.
The eye which makes sport of a father, and sees no value in a mother when she is old will be rooted out by the ravens of the valley, and be food for the young eagles.
18 Three things are difficult for me, and about a fourth, I am nearly ignorant:
There are three things, the wonder of which overcomes me, even four things outside my knowledge:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man in adolescence.
The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a snake on a rock; the way of a ship in the heart of the sea; and the way of a man with a girl.
20 Such is the way also of an adulterous woman, who eats, and wiping her mouth, says: “I have done no evil.”
This is the way of a false wife; she takes food, and, cleaning her mouth, says, I have done no wrong.
21 By three things, the earth is moved, and a fourth it is not able to sustain:
For three things the earth is moved, and there are four which it will not put up with:
22 by a slave when he reigns, by the foolish when he has been filled with food,
A servant when he becomes a king; a man without sense when his wealth is increased;
23 by a hateful woman when she has been taken in matrimony, and by a handmaid when she has been heir to her mistress.
A hated woman when she is married; and a servant-girl who takes the place of her master's wife.
24 Four things are least upon the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are very wise:
25 the ants, an infirm people who provide food for themselves at the harvest,
The ants are a people not strong, but they put by a store of food in the summer;
26 the rabbit, a sickened people who make their bed upon the rock.
The conies are only a feeble people, but they make their houses in the rocks;
27 The locust has no king, but they all depart by their troops.
The locusts have no king, but they all go out in bands;
28 The lizard supports itself on hands and dwells in the buildings of kings.
You may take the lizard in your hands, but it is in kings' houses.
29 There are three things that advance well, and a fourth that marches happily on:
There are three things whose steps are good to see, even four whose goings are fair:
30 a lion, the strongest of beasts, who fears nothing that he meets,
The lion, which is strongest among beasts, not turning from his way for any;
31 a rooster prepared at the loins, likewise a ram, and a king, whom none can resist.
The war-horse, and the he-goat, and the king when his army is with him.
32 There is one who has appeared foolish, after he was lifted up on high; for if he had understood, he would have placed his hand over his mouth.
If you have done foolishly in lifting yourself up, or if you have had evil designs, put your hand over your mouth.
33 But whoever strongly squeezes the udder to bring out the milk, presses out butter. And whoever violently blows his nose, brings out blood. And whoever provokes wrath, brings forth discord.”
The shaking of milk makes butter, and the twisting of the nose makes blood come: so the forcing of wrath is a cause of fighting.
