Proverbs 30
1 The words of Agur, son of Jakeh, [even] the oracle, —The utterance of the man, for Ithiel, for Ithiel and Ucal.
These things says the man to them that trust in God; and I cease.
2 Surely, more brutish, am, I, than any man, nor doth, the understanding of a son of earth, pertain to me;
For I am the most simple of all men, and there is not in me the wisdom of men.
3 Neither have I learned wisdom, nor, the knowledge of the Holy Ones, can I acquire.
God has taught me wisdom, and I know the knowledge of the holy.
4 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?
Who has gone up to heaven, and come down? who has gathered the winds in his bosom? who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? who has dominion of all the ends of the earth? what is his name? or what is the name of his children?
5 Every saying of God is refined, A shield, is, he, to them who seek refuge in him.
For all the words of God are tried in the fire, and he defends those that reverence him.
6 Do not add unto his words, lest he convict thee, and thou be found false.
Add not to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be made a liar.
7 Two things, have I asked of thee, withhold them not from me, ere yet I die:
Two things I ask of you; take not favour from me before I die.
8 Vanity and falsehood, remove far from me, Neither poverty nor riches, give me, Feed me with the food appointed me:
Remove far from me vanity and falsehood: and give me not wealth [or] poverty; but appoint me what is needful and sufficient:
9 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.
lest I be filled and become false, and say, Who sees me? or be poor and steal, and swear [vainly] by the name of God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he revile thee, and thou be found guilty.
Deliver not a servant into the hands of his master, lest he curse you, and you be utterly destroyed.
11 A generation! Its father, it revileth, and, its mother, it doth not bless.
A wicked generation curse their father, and do not bless their mother.
12 A generation! Pure in its own eyes, yet, from its filth, hath it not been bathed,
A wicked generation judge themselves to be just, but do not cleanse their way.
13 A generation! How lofty are its eyes, and its eyelashes uplifted.
A wicked generation have lofty eyes, and exalt themselves with their eyelids.
14 A generation! Swords, are its teeth, and, knives, its incisors, —to devour the humbled out of the earth, and the needy, from among men.
A wicked generation have swords [for] teeth and jaw teeth [as] knives, so as to destroy and devour the lowly from the earth, and the poor of them from amongst men.
15 The vampire, hath two daughters, Give! Give! Three, there are will not be satisfied, four, have not said, Enough!
The horse-leech had three dearly beloved daughters: and these three did not satisfy her; and the fourth was not contented so as to say, Enough.
16 Hades, and barrenness, —A land not satisfied with water, and fire, that saith not, Enough! (Sheol h7585)
The grave, and the love of a woman, and the earth not filled with water; water also and fire will not say, It is enough. (Sheol h7585)
17 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.
The eye that laughs to scorn a father, and dishonours the old age of a mother, let the ravens of the valleys pick it out, and let the young eagles devour it.
18 Three, things there are, too difficult for me, yea, four, which I do not understand:
Moreover there are three things impossible for me to comprehend, and the fourth I know not:
19 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.
the track of a flying eagle; and the ways of a serpent on a rock; and the paths of a ship passing through the sea; and the ways of a man in youth.
20 So, is the way of a woman committing adultery, —she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no iniquity!
Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who having washed herself from what she has done, says she has done nothing amiss.
21 Under three things, a land is stirred, yea, under four, she cannot bear up:
By three thing the earth is troubled, and the fourth it can’t bear:
22 Under a servant, when he reigneth, and a base man, when he is surfeited with food;
if a servant reign; or a fool be filled with food;
23 Under a hateful woman, when she is married, and a handmaid when she driveth out her mistress.
or if a maidservant should cast out her own mistress; and if a hateful woman should marry a good man.
24 Four, things there are, the small of the earth, —yet, they, are wiser than the wise:
And [there are] four very little things upon the earth, but these are wiser than the wise:
25 The ants, a people, not strong, —yet prepare they, in summer, their food;
the ants which are weak, and [yet] prepare [their] food in summer;
26 The conies, a people of, no power, yet set they, among the crags, their house;
the rabbits also [are] a feeble race, who make their houses in the rocks.
27 King, is there none, to, the locusts, —yet go forth in swarms, do they all;
The locusts have no king, and [yet] march orderly at one command.
28 The lizard, with hands, reneweth its hold, —yet, the same, is in the palaces of the king.
And the eft, which supports itself by [its] hands, and is easily taken, dwells in the fortresses of kings.
29 Three, things there are which step along well, ye, four, which excel in going:
And there are three things which go well, and a fourth which passes along finely.
30 The lion, hero among beasts, which turneth aside from the face of no one;
A lion's whelp, stronger than [all other] beasts, which turns not away, nor fears [any] beast;
31 The greyhound, or the he-goat, —and a king, having a band of soldiers with him.
and a cock walking in boldly amongst the hens, and the goat leading the herd; and a king publicly speaking before a nation.
32 If thou hast acted basely by lifting thyself up, —if thou hast plotted evil, [put thy] hand to [thy] mouth!
If you abandon yourself to mirth, and stretch forth your hand in a quarrel, you shall be disgraced.
33 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.
Milk out milk, and there shall be butter, and if you wing [one's] nostrils there shall come out blood: so if you extort words, there will come forth quarrels and strifes.
