Proverbs 30
1 Words of Agur, son of Jakeh, the burden, a declaration of the man to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.
These things says the man to them that trust in God; and I cease.
2 For I am more brutish than anyone, And do not have the understanding of a man.
For I am the most simple of all men, and there is not in me the wisdom of men.
3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet I know the knowledge of the Holy Ones.
God has taught me wisdom, and I know the knowledge of the holy.
4 Who went up to the heavens, and comes down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His Name? And what [is] His Son’s Name? Surely you know!
Who has gone up to heaven, and come down? who has gathered the winds in his bosom? who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? who has dominion of all the ends of the earth? what is his name? or what is the name of his children?
5 Every saying of God [is] tried, He [is] a shield to those trusting in Him.
For all the words of God are tried in the fire, and he defends those that reverence him.
6 Do not add to His words, lest He reason with you, And you have been found false.
Add not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be made a liar.
7 Two things I have asked from You, Do not withhold from me before I die.
Two things I ask of thee; take not favour from me before I die.
8 Put vanity and a lying word far from me, Do not give poverty or wealth to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,
Remove far from me vanity and falsehood: and give me not wealth [or] poverty; but appoint me what is needful and sufficient:
9 Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, “Who [is] YHWH?” And lest I am poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the Name of my God.
lest I be filled and become false, and say, Who sees me? or be poor and steal, and swear [vainly] by the name of God.
10 Do not accuse a servant to his lord, Lest he disapprove of you, and you are found guilty.
Deliver not a servant into the hands of his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be utterly destroyed.
11 A generation lightly esteems their father, And does not bless their mother.
A wicked generation curse their father, and do not bless their mother.
12 A generation—pure in their own eyes, But not washed from their own filth.
A wicked generation judge themselves to be just, but do not cleanse their way.
13 A generation—how high are their eyes, Indeed, their eyelids are lifted up.
A wicked generation have lofty eyes, and exalt themselves with their eyelids.
14 A generation—their teeth [are] swords, And their jaw-teeth [are] knives, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.
A wicked generation have swords [for] teeth and jaw-teeth [as] knives, so as to destroy and devour the lowly from the earth, and the poor of them from among men.
15 To the leech [are] two daughters—Give! Give! Behold, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said “Sufficiency”;
The horse-leech had three dearly-beloved daughters: and these three did not satisfy her; and the fourth was not contented so as to say, Enough.
16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth—it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire—it has not said, “Sufficiency,” (Sheol h7585)
The grave, and the love of a woman, and the earth not filled with water; water also and fire will not say, It is enough. (Sheol h7585)
17 An eye that mocks at a father, And despises to obey a mother, Ravens of the valley dig it out, And young eagles eat it.
The eye that laughs to scorn a father, and dishonours the old age of a mother, let the ravens of the valleys pick it out, and let the young eagles devour it.
18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Indeed, four that I have not known:
Moreover there are three things impossible for me to comprehend, and the fourth I know not:
19 The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.
the track of a flying eagle; and the ways of a serpent on a rock; and the paths of a ship passing through the sea; and the ways of a man in youth.
20 So—the way of an adulterous woman, She has eaten and has wiped her mouth, And has said, “I have not done iniquity.”
Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who having washed herself from what she has done, says she has done nothing amiss.
21 For three things has earth been troubled, And for four—it is not able to bear:
By three thing the earth is troubled, and the fourth it cannot bear:
22 For a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
if a servant reign; or a fool be filled with food;
23 For a hated one when she rules, And a maidservant when she succeeds her mistress.
or if a maid-servant should cast out her own mistress; and if a hateful woman should marry a good man.
24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
And [there are] four very little things upon the earth, but these are wiser than the wise:
25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare their food in summer,
the ants which are weak, and [yet] prepare [their] food in summer;
26 hyraxes [are] a people not strong, And they place their house in a rock,
the rabbits also [are] a feeble race, who make their houses in the rocks.
27 There is no king to the locust, And it goes out—each one shouting,
The locusts have no king, and [yet] march orderly at one command.
28 A spider with two hands takes hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
And the eft, which supports itself by [its] hands, and is easily taken, dwells in the fortresses of kings.
29 There are three going well, Indeed, four are good in going:
And there are three things which go well, and a fourth which passes along finely.
30 An old lion—mighty among beasts, That does not turn back from the face of any,
A lion's whelp, stronger than [all other] beasts, which turns not away, nor fears [any] beast;
31 A girt one of the loins, Also a male goat, And a king—troops with him.
and a cock walking in boldly among the hens, and the goat leading the herd; and a king publicly speaking before a nation.
32 If you have been foolish in lifting yourself up, And if you have devised evil—hand to mouth!
If thou abandon thyself to mirth, and stretch forth thine hand in a quarrel, thou shalt be disgraced.
33 For the churning of milk brings out butter, And the wringing of the nose brings out blood, And the forcing of anger brings out strife!
Milk out milk, and there shall be butter, and if thou wing [one's] nostrils there shall come out blood: so if thou extort words, there will come forth quarrels and strifes.
