Proverbs 30
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, [even] the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
2 Surely I [am] more brutish than [any] man, and have not the understanding of a man.
It seems that I am very stupid; I do not deserve to be considered to be a human; I do not have the good sense that humans should have.
3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
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?
[But let me say this]: No one [RHQ] has ascended to heaven [to find out what God is like] and returned [to tell us]. No one [RHQ] has gathered/held the wind in his hand. No one [RHQ] has wrapped the water [in the ocean] in [a piece of] cloth, and no one [RHQ] has established the boundaries of the earth. [If you know who has done those things, tell me] [RHQ] his name, and the names of his children [SAR]! [But you do not know who has done those things, so you cannot speak with authority about what God is like].
5 Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Do not add to (OR, change) what God has said; if you do that, he will rebuke you and show that you are lying.
7 Two [things] have I required of thee; deny me [them] not before I die:
[God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
Help me never to lie or deceive [people] and do not cause me to become poor or to become rich. [Just] give me the food that I need;
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].
because if I become rich, I might say that I do not [RHQ] know you and that I do not need you; and if I become poor, I might dishonor you by stealing things.
10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
Do not (slander/say bad things about) a worker to his boss; if you do that, the worker will curse you, and cause you to have trouble.
11 [There is] a generation [that] curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
[I will list four kinds of evil things that people do]: Some people curse their fathers and do not [ask God to] bless their mothers.
12 [There is] a generation [that are] pure in their own eyes, and [yet] is not washed from their filthiness.
Some people think that they are perfect, but [really] they have never been cleansed from their guilt for committing disgusting sins.
13 [There is] a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
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.
Some people [act very cruelly toward others]; [it is as though] [MET] they have teeth that are [like] sharp knives; they severely oppress poor [people] and try to cause them to disappear from the land.
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:
Leeches [are always wanting more blood to suck]; [similarly, greedy people are always] saying “Give [me some]!” or “Give [me more]!” [MET] There are four things that are never (satisfied/content with what they have); they always want more [LIT]:
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)
The place where the dead people are; women who do not have any children; ground that needs water/rain; and a fire that always needs more wood. (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.
Those who [SYN] make fun of their fathers or refuse to obey their mothers (OR, despise their aged mothers) should [die and] have their eyes pecked out by crows, and the [rest of their corpses should be] fed to the vultures.
18 There be three [things which] are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
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.
How eagles fly in the sky, how snakes [are able to] move/crawl across a big rock, how ships sail on the seas, and how a man falls in love with a woman.
20 Such [is] the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
This is what a woman who (is not faithful to/does not have sex only with) her husband does: She commits adultery [EUP], and [then] bathes and says, “I have not done anything that is wrong!”
21 For three [things] the earth is disquieted, and for four [which] it cannot bear:
There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
[What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
23 For an odious [woman] when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
[what] a woman who is hated [does when she] gets married, and [what] a female servant [does when she] becomes the boss instead of her mistress.
24 There be four [things which are] little upon the earth, but they [are] exceeding wise:
[There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
25 The ants [are] a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
Ants are not strong, but they store up food during the summer [in order to have it during the winter].
26 The conies [are but] a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
29 There be three [things] which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
[There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
30 A lion [which is] strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom [there is] no rising up.
male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
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 acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
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.
If you churn milk, it produces butter/curds, and if you hit [someone hard on his] nose, [his nose] bleeds; similarly, if you do something to cause [people to become] angry, strife [usually] results.
