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 Agur, the son of Jakeh, even his prophecy; the inspired utterance of the man to Ithiel, even to Ithiel and Ucal.
2 For I am more brutish than anyone, And do not have the understanding of a man.
Truly I am more stupid than any man; There is not in me the understanding of a man.
3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
I have not learned wisdom, Nor have I gained the knowledge of the Most Holy.
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 gone up into heaven and come down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound up the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what his son's name, if thou knowest?
5 Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
Every word of God is pure; A shield is he to them that put their trust in him.
6 Do not add to His words, lest He reason with you, And you have been found false.
Add not to his words, Lest he rebuke thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 Two things I have asked from You, Do not withhold from me before I die.
Two things do I ask of thee; Withhold them not from 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 falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food which is needful for me;
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 I be full, and deny thee, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor, and steal, And violate the name of my God.
10 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
Talk not against a servant to his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou suffer for it.
11 A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
There is a class of men that curse their fathers, And do not bless their mothers.
12 A generation—pure in their own eyes, But not washed from their own filth.
There is a class who 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.
There is a class, —O how lofty are their eyes, And how are their eyelids lifted up!
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.
There is a class, whose teeth are swords, And their jaw-teeth knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men.
15 To the leech [are] two daughters—Give! Give! Behold, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said “Sufficiency”;
The vampire hath two daughters; “Give! give!” [[is their cry.]] There are three things which are never satisfied; Yea, four which say not, “Enough!”
16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth—it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire—it has not said, “Sufficiency,” (Sheol h7585)
The underworld, and the barren womb; The earth, which is not satiated with water, And fire, which 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 a father, And scorneth to obey a mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it.
18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Indeed, four that I have not known:
These three things are too wonderful for me; Yea, there are four which I understand not:
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 track of an eagle in the air, The track of a serpent upon a rock, The track of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the track of a man with a maid.
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 the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, “I have done nothing wrong.”
21 For three things has earth been troubled, And for four—it is not able to bear:
Under three things is the earth disquieted; Yea, under four it cannot bear up:
22 For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
Under a servant when he becometh a king, And a fool when he is filled with bread;
23 For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
Under an odious woman when she becometh a wife, And a handmaid when she becometh heir to her mistress.
24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
There are four things which are small upon the earth, Yet are they wise, instructed in wisdom.
25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare their food in summer,
The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare in the summer their food.
26 hyraxes [are] a people not strong, And they place their house in a rock,
The conies are a feeble people, Yet do they make their houses in the rocks.
27 There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
The locusts have no king, Yet do they all go forth in bands.
28 A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
The lizard seizeth with its hands, And is in king's palaces.
29 There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
These three have a graceful step; Yea, four are graceful in their walk:
30 An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
The lion, the hero among beasts, Which turneth not back for any;
31 A girt one of the loins, Also a male goat, And a king—troops with him.
The loin-girded war-horse, the he-goat, And a king who cannot be withstood.
32 If you have been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to mouth!
If thou hast been foolish in lifting thyself up, And hast meditated evil, Put thy hand on thy 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!
For, as the pressing of milk bringeth forth cheese, And as the pressing of the nose bringeth forth blood, So the pressing of anger bringeth forth strife.
