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, son of Jakeh, [even] the oracle, —The utterance of the man, for Ithiel, for Ithiel and Ucal.
2 For I am more brutish than anyone, And do not have the understanding of a man.
Surely, more brutish, am, I, than any man, nor doth, the understanding of a son of earth, pertain to me;
3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
Neither have I learned wisdom, nor, the knowledge of the Holy Ones, can I acquire.
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 the heavens and then descended? Who hath gathered the wind into his two hands? Who hath wrapped up the waters in a mantle? Who hath set up all the ends of the earth? What is his name and what the name of his son, when thou knowest?
5 Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
Every saying of God is refined, A shield, is, he, to them who seek refuge in him.
6 Do not add to His words, lest He reason with you, And you have been found false.
Do not add unto his words, lest he convict thee, and thou be found false.
7 Two things I have asked from You, Do not withhold from me before I die.
Two things, have I asked of thee, withhold them not from me, ere yet 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,
Vanity and falsehood, remove far from me, Neither poverty nor riches, give me, Feed me with the food appointed 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, and say—Who is Yahweh? or lest I be impoverished and steal, and do violence to the Name of my God.
10 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he revile thee, and thou be found guilty.
11 A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
A generation! Its father, it revileth, and, its mother, it doth not bless.
12 A generation—pure in their own eyes, But not washed from their own filth.
A generation! Pure in its own eyes, yet, from its filth, hath it not been bathed,
13 A generation—how high are their eyes, Indeed, their eyelids are lifted up.
A generation! How lofty are its eyes, and its eyelashes uplifted.
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! Swords, are its teeth, and, knives, its incisors, —to devour the humbled out of 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! Three, there are will not be satisfied, four, have not said, Enough!
16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth—it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire—it has not said, “Sufficiency,” (Sheol h7585)
Hades, and barrenness, —A land not satisfied with water, and fire, that saith not, 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 a father, and despiseth to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young of the eagle shall eat it.
18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Indeed, four that I have not known:
Three, things there are, too difficult for me, yea, four, which I do not understand:
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 heavens, the way of a serpent on the rock, —the way of a ship in the heart of the sea, and the way 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.”
So, is the way of a woman committing adultery, —she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no iniquity!
21 For three things has earth been troubled, And for four—it is not able to bear:
Under three things, a land is stirred, yea, under four, she cannot bear up:
22 For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
Under a servant, when he reigneth, and a base man, when he is surfeited with food;
23 For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
Under a hateful woman, when she is married, and a handmaid when she driveth out her mistress.
24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
Four, things there are, the small of the earth, —yet, they, are wiser than the wise:
25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare their food in summer,
The ants, a people, not strong, —yet prepare they, in summer, their food;
26 hyraxes [are] a people not strong, And they place their house in a rock,
The conies, a people of, no power, yet set they, among the crags, their house;
27 There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
King, is there none, to, the locusts, —yet go forth in swarms, do they all;
28 A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
The lizard, with hands, reneweth its hold, —yet, the same, is in the palaces of the king.
29 There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
Three, things there are which step along well, ye, four, which excel in going:
30 An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
The lion, hero among beasts, which turneth aside from the face of no one;
31 A girt one of the loins, Also a male goat, And a king—troops with him.
The greyhound, or the he-goat, —and a king, having a band of soldiers with him.
32 If you have been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to mouth!
If thou hast acted basely by lifting thyself up, —if thou hast plotted evil, [put thy] hand to [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!
Surely, the pressing of milk, bringeth forth curd, and, the pressing of the nose, bringeth forth blood, and, the pressing of wrath, bringeth forth strife.
