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 Jakeh, the revelation: the man says 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 the most ignorant man, and do not have a man’s understanding.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
I have not learned wisdom, neither do I have the 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 up into heaven, and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in his garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if 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 you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
“Two things I have asked of you. Do not deny 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;
Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for 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 be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor 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, lest he curse you, and you 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, yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are 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 like swords, and their jaws like knives, to devour the poor 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, give.’ “There are three things that are never satisfied; four that do not 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 (Sheol h7585), the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that does not say, 'Enough!'
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 at his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, the young eagles shall eat it.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
“There are three things which are too amazing for me, four which 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 air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the 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!”
“So is the way of an adulterous woman: 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:
“For 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,
For a servant when he is 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.
for an unloved woman when she is married, and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
“There are four things which are little on the earth, but 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 not a strong people, yet they provide 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 hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses 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 advance in ranks.
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
“There are three things which are stately in their march, four which are stately in going:
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
The lion, which is mightiest among animals, and does not turn away for any;
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
the greyhound; the male goat; and the 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 you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought 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 produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
