Proverbs 30
1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
| דברי אגור בן יקה המשא נאם הגבר לאיתיאל לאיתיאל ואכל׃ |
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.
| כי בער אנכי מאיש ולא בינת אדם לי׃ |
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
| ולא למדתי חכמה ודעת קדשים אדע׃ |
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].
| מי עלה שמים וירד מי אסף רוח בחפניו מי צרר מים בשמלה מי הקים כל אפסי ארץ מה שמו ומה שם בנו כי תדע׃ |
5 Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
| כל אמרת אלוה צרופה מגן הוא לחסים בו׃ |
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.
| אל תוסף על דבריו פן יוכיח בך ונכזבת׃ |
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
| שתים שאלתי מאתך אל תמנע ממני בטרם אמות׃ |
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;
| שוא ודבר כזב הרחק ממני ראש ועשר אל תתן לי הטריפני לחם חקי׃ |
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.
| פן אשבע וכחשתי ואמרתי מי יהוה ופן אורש וגנבתי ותפשתי שם אלהי׃ |
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.
| אל תלשן עבד אל אדנו פן יקללך ואשמת׃ |
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.
| דור אביו יקלל ואת אמו לא יברך׃ |
12 Some people think that they are perfect, but [really] they have never been cleansed from their guilt for committing disgusting sins.
| דור טהור בעיניו ומצאתו לא רחץ׃ |
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
| דור מה רמו עיניו ועפעפיו ינשאו׃ |
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.
| דור חרבות שניו ומאכלות מתלעתיו לאכל עניים מארץ ואביונים מאדם׃ |
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]:
| לעלוקה שתי בנות הב הב שלוש הנה לא תשבענה ארבע לא אמרו הון׃ |
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)
| שאול ועצר רחם ארץ לא שבעה מים ואש לא אמרה הון׃ (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.
| עין תלעג לאב ותבוז ליקהת אם יקרוה ערבי נחל ויאכלוה בני נשר׃ |
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
| שלשה המה נפלאו ממני וארבע לא ידעתים׃ |
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.
| דרך הנשר בשמים דרך נחש עלי צור דרך אניה בלב ים ודרך גבר בעלמה׃ |
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!”
| כן דרך אשה מנאפת אכלה ומחתה פיה ואמרה לא פעלתי און׃ |
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
| תחת שלוש רגזה ארץ ותחת ארבע לא תוכל שאת׃ |
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
| תחת עבד כי ימלוך ונבל כי ישבע לחם׃ |
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.
| תחת שנואה כי תבעל ושפחה כי תירש גברתה׃ |
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
| ארבעה הם קטני ארץ והמה חכמים מחכמים׃ |
25 Ants are not strong, but they store up food during the summer [in order to have it during the winter].
| הנמלים עם לא עז ויכינו בקיץ לחמם׃ |
26 Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
| שפנים עם לא עצום וישימו בסלע ביתם׃ |
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
| מלך אין לארבה ויצא חצץ כלו׃ |
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
| שממית בידים תתפש והיא בהיכלי מלך׃ |
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
| שלשה המה מיטיבי צעד וארבעה מיטבי לכת׃ |
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
| ליש גבור בבהמה ולא ישוב מפני כל׃ |
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
| זרזיר מתנים או תיש ומלך אלקום עמו׃ |
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
| אם נבלת בהתנשא ואם זמות יד לפה׃ |
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.
| כי מיץ חלב יוציא חמאה ומיץ אף יוציא דם ומיץ אפים יוציא ריב׃ |
