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 son of Jakeh—the utterance: This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
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 like an animal than any human and I do not have the understanding of a human being.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
I have not learned wisdom, nor do I 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 has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has gathered up the waters in a 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 tested; 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, or he will discipline you, and you will be proved to be 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 withhold them from 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;
Put vanity and lies far away from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches, just give me the food I need.
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.
For if I have too much, I might deny you and say, “Who is Yahweh?” Or if I become poor, I might steal and profane 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 slave before his master, or he will curse you and you will be held guilty.
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 curses their father and does not bless their 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 their own eyes, and yet they are not washed of their filth.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
There is a generation whose eyes are raised up, and how high are their eyelids 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 swords, and their jawbones are like knives, so they may devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.
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” they cry. 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 that is never satisfied with water; and the 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.
The eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, and he will be eaten by the vultures.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
There are three things that are too wonderful for me, four that I do not 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 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!”
This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and she 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, and under four it cannot bear up:
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
a slave when he becomes king; a fool when he 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.
a hated woman when she marries; and a maid when she takes the place of her mistress.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
Four things on earth are small and yet they are very 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 that are not strong, but they prepare 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 not mighty creatures, but they make their homes in the rocks.
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
Locusts have no king, but all of them march in rank.
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
As for the lizard, you can hold it in your two hands, yet they are found in kings' palaces.
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 stately in how they walk:
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
a lion, strongest among wild animals— it does not turn away from 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 goat; and a king whose soldiers are beside 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 been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising 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.
As churning milk makes butter and as one's nose will produce blood if it is twisted, so deeds done in anger produce conflict.
