Proverbs 30
1 The words of Agur, son of Jakeh, [even] the oracle, —The utterance of the man, for Ithiel, for Ithiel and Ucal.
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 Surely, more brutish, am, I, than any man, nor doth, the understanding of a son of earth, pertain to me;
I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
3 Neither have I learned wisdom, nor, the knowledge of the Holy Ones, can I acquire.
I have not learned wisdom, and have not known the science of saints.
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 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 refined, A shield, is, he, to them who seek refuge in him.
Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him.
6 Do not add unto his words, lest he convict thee, and thou be found false.
Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved, and found a liar:
7 Two things, have I asked of thee, withhold them not from me, ere yet I die:
Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not to 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 lying words. Give me neither beggary, nor riches: give me only the necessaries of life:
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 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 slander a servant to his master, lest he revile thee, and thou be found guilty.
Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou fall.
11 A generation! Its father, it revileth, and, its mother, it doth not bless.
There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12 A generation! Pure in its own eyes, yet, from its filth, hath it not been bathed,
A generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 A generation! How lofty are its eyes, and its eyelashes uplifted.
A generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high.
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 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 The vampire, hath two daughters, Give! Give! Three, there are will not be satisfied, four, have not said, Enough!
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 Hades, and barrenness, —A land not satisfied with water, and fire, that saith not, Enough! (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 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 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 there are, too difficult for me, yea, four, which I do not understand:
Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of.
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 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, is the way of a woman committing adultery, —she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no iniquity!
Such is also the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
21 Under three things, a land is stirred, yea, under four, she cannot bear up:
By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear:
22 Under a servant, when he reigneth, and a base man, when he is surfeited with food;
By a slave when he reigneth: by a fool when he is filled with meat:
23 Under a hateful woman, when she is married, and a handmaid when she driveth out her mistress.
By an odious woman when she is married: and by a bondwoman when she is heir to her mistress.
24 Four, things there are, the small of the earth, —yet, they, are wiser than the wise:
There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
25 The ants, a people, not strong, —yet prepare they, in summer, their food;
The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
26 The conies, a people of, no power, yet set they, among the crags, their house;
The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock:
27 King, is there none, to, the locusts, —yet go forth in swarms, do they all;
The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands.
28 The lizard, with hands, reneweth its hold, —yet, the same, is in the palaces of the king.
The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth in kings’ houses.
29 Three, things there are which step along well, ye, four, which excel in going:
There are three things, which go well, and the fourth that walketh happily:
30 The lion, hero among beasts, which turneth aside from the face of no one;
A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth:
31 The greyhound, or the he-goat, —and a king, having a band of soldiers with him.
A cock girded about the loins: and a ram: and a king, whom none can resist.
32 If thou hast acted basely by lifting thyself up, —if thou hast plotted evil, [put thy] hand to [thy] 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 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.
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.
