Proverbs 30
1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
The words of Agur the son of Yakeh, even the prophecy: the man said unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ukkal,
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 more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a common man.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
Nor have I learned wisdom, so that I should have 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 was it that ascended into heaven, and came down again? who gathered the wind in his fists? who bound the waters in a garment? who set up all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest it?”
5 Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
Every saying of God is purified: he is a shield unto those that put their trust 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 aught unto his words: lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
Two things do I request of thee: deny them not to 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;
Vanity and lying words do thou remove far from me: neither poverty nor riches give thou unto me; let me eat the bread appointed unto me:
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.
Lest I become over-full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I become poor, and steal, and trespass against 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 calumniate a servant unto his master: lest he curse thee, and thou incur 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 that curseth its father, and doth not bless its mother.
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 that is pure in its own eyes, and yet is not washed [clean] of its filthiness.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
There is a generation—O how lofty are its eyes! and its eyelids are so lifted up.
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 as swords, and whose string teeth are as knives, to devour the poor from off 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]:
Insatiability hath two daughters, [crying, ] Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things which 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)
The nether world; and a barren womb; the earth which is not satisfied with water; and the fire which never saith, 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.
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, this shall the ravens of the valley pick out; and the young eagles shall eat it.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
Three things there are which are too wonderful for me; and four, which I know not:
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 the eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the heart of the sea; and the way of a man with a young woman.
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!”
Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wrong.
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
Under three things the earth trembleth, and under four which she cannot bear:
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
Under a servant when he becometh king, and a worthless fool when he hath eaten enough bread;
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.
Under an odious woman when she is married, and a bond-woman when she dispossesseth her mistress.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
There are four which are the little ones of the earth, and they are nevertheless 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 a people not strong, therefore do they prepare in the summer their food;
26 Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
The conies are but a feeble people, therefore do they place on the rocks their houses;
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
The locusts have no king, and yet they go forth in troops altogether;
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
The spider thou canst catch with [thy] hands, and yet she is in the palaces of a king.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
Three there are that have a stately step, and four, that are stately in going:
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
The lion, the mightiest among beasts, who turneth not round from before any one;
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
The light-legged greyhound, and the he-goat; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
If thou hast become degraded by lifting up thyself, or if thou hast devised evil, put thy hand to thy 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 the pressure of milk bringeth forth butter, and the pressure of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the pressure of wrath bringeth forth strife.
