Proverbs 30
1 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.
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:
2 For I am more brutish than anyone, And do not have the understanding of a man.
I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
I have not learned wisdom, and have not known the science of saints.
4 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!
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?
5 Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him.
6 Do not add to His words, lest He reason with you, And you have been found false.
Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved, and found a liar:
7 Two things I have asked from You, Do not withhold from me before I die.
Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not to me before I die.
8 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,
Remove far from me vanity, and lying words. Give me neither beggary, nor riches: give me only the necessaries of life:
9 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.
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.
10 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou fall.
11 A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12 A generation—pure in their own eyes, But not washed from their own filth.
A generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 A generation—how high are their eyes, Indeed, their eyelids are lifted up.
A generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high.
14 A generation—their teeth [are] swords, And their jaw-teeth [are] knives, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.
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.
15 To the leech [are] two daughters—Give! Give! Behold, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said “Sufficiency”;
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.
16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth—it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire—it has not said, “Sufficiency,” (Sheol h7585)
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 h7585)
17 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.
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.
18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Indeed, four that I have not known:
Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of.
19 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.
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.
20 So—the way of an adulterous woman, She has eaten and has wiped her mouth, And has said, “I have not done iniquity.”
Such is also the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
21 For three things has earth been troubled, And for four—it is not able to bear:
By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear:
22 For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
By a slave when he reigneth: by a fool when he is filled with meat:
23 For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
By an odious woman when she is married: and by a bondwoman when she is heir to her mistress.
24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare their food in summer,
The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
26 hyraxes [are] a people not strong, And they place their house in a rock,
The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock:
27 There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands.
28 A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth in kings’ houses.
29 There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
There are three things, which go well, and the fourth that walketh happily:
30 An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth:
31 A girt one of the loins, Also a male goat, And a king—troops with him.
A cock girded about the loins: and a ram: and a king, whom none can resist.
32 If you have been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to mouth!
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.
33 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!
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.
