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, from Massa. The man says: I am full of weariness, O God, I am full of weariness; O God, I have come to an end:
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.
For I am more like a beast than any man, I have no power of reasoning like a man:
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
I have not got wisdom by teaching, so that I might 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 gone up to heaven and come down? who has taken the winds in his hands, prisoning the waters in his robe? by whom have all the ends of the earth been fixed? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you are able to say?
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 breastplate to those who put their faith 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.
Make no addition to his words, or he will make clear your error, and you will be seen to be false.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
I have made request to you for two things; do not keep them from me before my death:
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 far from me all false and foolish things: do not give me great wealth or let me be in need, but give me only enough food:
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 fear that if I am full, I may be false to you and say, Who is the Lord? or if I am poor, I may become a thief, using the name of my God wrongly.
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 say evil of a servant to his master, or he will put a curse on you, and you will get into trouble.
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 who put a curse on their father, and do not give a blessing to 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 who seem to themselves to be free from sin, but are not washed from their unclean ways.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
There is a generation, O how full of pride are their eyes! O how their brows 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, their strong teeth like knives, for the destruction of the poor from the earth, and of those who are in need 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 night-spirit has two daughters, Give, give. There are three things which are never full, even four 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 underworld, and the woman without a child; the earth which never has enough water, and the fire which 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 which makes sport of a father, and sees no value in a mother when she is old will be rooted out by the ravens of the valley, and be food for the young eagles.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
There are three things, the wonder of which overcomes me, even four things outside my knowledge:
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 snake on a rock; the way of a ship in the heart of the sea; and the way of a man with a girl.
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 a false wife; she takes food, and, cleaning her mouth, says, I have done no wrong.
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
For three things the earth is moved, and there are four which it will not put up with:
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
A servant when he becomes a king; a man without sense when his wealth is increased;
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 is married; and a servant-girl who takes the place of her master's wife.
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 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 a people not strong, but they put by a store of 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 conies are only a feeble people, but they make 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, but they all go out in bands;
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 may take the lizard in your hands, but it is in kings' houses.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
There are three things whose steps are good to see, even four whose goings are fair:
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
The lion, which is strongest among beasts, not turning from his way 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 war-horse, and the he-goat, and the king when his army is with 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 done foolishly in lifting yourself up, or if you have had evil designs, 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.
The shaking of milk makes butter, and the twisting of the nose makes blood come: so the forcing of wrath is a cause of fighting.
