Proverbs 30
1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, and worn out.
2 It seems that I am very stupid; I do not deserve to be considered to be a human; I do not have the good sense that humans should have.
Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
4 [But let me say this]: No one [RHQ] has ascended to heaven [to find out what God is like] and returned [to tell us]. No one [RHQ] has gathered/held the wind in his hand. No one [RHQ] has wrapped the water [in the ocean] in [a piece of] cloth, and no one [RHQ] has established the boundaries of the earth. [If you know who has done those things, tell me] [RHQ] his name, and the names of his children [SAR]! [But you do not know who has done those things, so you cannot speak with authority about what God is like].
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— surely you know!
5 Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Do not add to (OR, change) what God has said; if you do that, he will rebuke you and show that you are lying.
Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
Two things I ask of You— do not refuse me before I die:
8 Help me never to lie or deceive [people] and do not cause me to become poor or to become rich. [Just] give me the food that I need;
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.
9 because if I become rich, I might say that I do not [RHQ] know you and that I do not need you; and if I become poor, I might dishonor you by stealing things.
Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.
10 Do not (slander/say bad things about) a worker to his boss; if you do that, the worker will curse you, and cause you to have trouble.
Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.
11 [I will list four kinds of evil things that people do]: Some people curse their fathers and do not [ask God to] bless their mothers.
There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
12 Some people think that they are perfect, but [really] they have never been cleansed from their guilt for committing disgusting sins.
There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—
14 Some people [act very cruelly toward others]; [it is as though] [MET] they have teeth that are [like] sharp knives; they severely oppress poor [people] and try to cause them to disappear from the land.
there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men.
15 Leeches [are always wanting more blood to suck]; [similarly, greedy people are always] saying “Give [me some]!” or “Give [me more]!” [MET] There are four things that are never (satisfied/content with what they have); they always want more [LIT]:
The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16 The place where the dead people are; women who do not have any children; ground that needs water/rain; and a fire that always needs more wood. (Sheol h7585)
Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’ (Sheol h7585)
17 Those who [SYN] make fun of their fathers or refuse to obey their mothers (OR, despise their aged mothers) should [die and] have their eyes pecked out by crows, and the [rest of their corpses should be] fed to the vultures.
As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:
19 How eagles fly in the sky, how snakes [are able to] move/crawl across a big rock, how ships sail on the seas, and how a man falls in love with a woman.
the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 This is what a woman who (is not faithful to/does not have sex only with) her husband does: She commits adultery [EUP], and [then] bathes and says, “I have not done anything that is wrong!”
This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,
23 [what] a woman who is hated [does when she] gets married, and [what] a female servant [does when she] becomes the boss instead of her mistress.
an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
25 Ants are not strong, but they store up food during the summer [in order to have it during the winter].
The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
the rock badgers are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation;
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
and the lizard can be caught in one’s hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.
33 If you churn milk, it produces butter/curds, and if you hit [someone hard on his] nose, [his nose] bleeds; similarly, if you do something to cause [people to become] angry, strife [usually] results.
For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”
