< Proverbs 30 >
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:
Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: — I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.
2 I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom, and have not known the science of saints.
Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.
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?
Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou knowest!
5 Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him.
Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him.
6 Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved, and found a liar:
Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.
7 Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not to me before I die.
Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from 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:
Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,
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.
Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, 'Who [is] Jehovah?' And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God.
10 Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou fall.
Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.
12 A generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
A generation — pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.
13 A generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high.
A generation — how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.
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.
A generation — swords [are] their teeth, And knives — their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.
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.
To the leech [are] two daughters, 'Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said 'Sufficiency;'
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. (Sheol )
Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth — it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire — it hath not said, 'Sufficiency,' (Sheol )
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.
An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.
18 Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of.
Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, 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 in youth.
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 also the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
So — the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, 'I have not done iniquity.'
21 By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear:
For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four — it is not able to bear:
22 By a slave when he reigneth: by a fool when he is filled with meat:
For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23 By an odious woman when she is married: and by a bondwoman when she is heir to her mistress.
For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.
24 There are four very little things of 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, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,
26 The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock:
Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,
27 The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands.
A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out — each one shouting,
28 The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth in kings’ houses.
A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29 There are three things, which go well, and the fourth that walketh happily:
Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:
30 A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth:
An old lion — mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,
31 A cock girded about the loins: and a ram: and a king, whom none can resist.
A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king — no rising up with him.
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.
If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil — hand to mouth!
33 And he that strongly squeezeth the papa 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.
For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!