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:
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 “I am the most foolish among men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
For I am more brutish than anyone, And do not have the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom, and I have not known the knowledge of sanctity.
Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
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 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 fire-tested. He is a bronze shield to those who hope in him.
Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
6 Do not add anything to his words, lest you be reproved and be discovered to be 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 you; do not deny them to me before I die.
Two things I have asked from You, Do not withhold from me before I die.
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 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 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.
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 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, lest he curse you, and you fall.
Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
11 There is a generation which curses their father, and which does not bless their mother.
A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation which seems pure to themselves, and yet they are not even washed from their filthiness.
A generation—pure in their own eyes, But not washed from their own filth.
13 There is a generation, whose eyes have been elevated, and their eyelids are lifted on high.
A generation—how high are their eyes, Indeed, their eyelids 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.
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 leech has two daughters, who say, ‘Bring, bring.’ Three things are insatiable, and a fourth never says ‘Enough’:
To the leech [are] two daughters—Give! Give! Behold, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said “Sufficiency”;
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)
Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth—it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire—it has not said, “Sufficiency,” (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.
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 Three things are difficult for me, and about a fourth, I am nearly ignorant:
Three things have been too wonderful for me, Indeed, four that I have not known:
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 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 Such is the way also of an adulterous woman, who eats, and wiping her mouth, says: “I have done no evil.”
So—the way of an adulterous woman, She has eaten and has wiped her mouth, And has said, “I have not done iniquity.”
21 By three things, the earth is moved, and a fourth it is not able to sustain:
For three things has earth been troubled, And for four—it is not able to bear:
22 by a slave when he reigns, by the foolish when he has been filled with food,
For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23 by a hateful woman when she has been taken in matrimony, and by a handmaid when she has been heir to her mistress.
For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
24 Four things are least upon the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
25 the ants, an infirm people who provide food for themselves at the harvest,
The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare their food in summer,
26 the rabbit, a sickened people who make their bed upon the rock.
hyraxes [are] a people not strong, And they place their house in a rock,
27 The locust has no king, but they all depart by their troops.
There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
28 The lizard supports itself on hands and dwells in the buildings of kings.
A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29 There are three things that advance well, and a fourth that marches happily on:
There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
30 a lion, the strongest of beasts, who fears nothing that he meets,
An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
31 a rooster prepared at the loins, likewise a ram, and a king, whom none can resist.
A girt one of the loins, Also a male goat, And a king—troops 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 been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to 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.”
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!
