Proverbs 30
1 THE words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto 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 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
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?
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 pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
6 Add thou not unto 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 have I required of thee; deny me them not 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 lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient 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 the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
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 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is 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 as swords, and their jaw teeth as 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 horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
To the leech [are] two daughters—Give! Give! Behold, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said “Sufficiency”;
16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is 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 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.
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 be 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 maid.
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 of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
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 is disquieted, 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 reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding 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 meat 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 make they 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 go they forth all of them by bands;
There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a 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 hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
If you have been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to 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.
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!
