Proverbs 30
1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
The wordis of hym that gaderith, of the sone spuynge. The prophesie which a man spak, with whom God was, and which man was coumfortid bi God dwellyng with hym,
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.
and seide, Y am the moost fool of men; and the wisdom of men is not with me.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
Y lernede not wisdom; and Y knew not the kunnyng of hooli men.
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 stiede in to heuene, and cam doun? Who helde togidere the spirit in hise hondis? who bonde togidere watris as in a cloth? Who reiside alle the endis of erthe? What is name of hym? and what is the name of his sone, if thou knowist?
5 Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
Ech word of God is a scheld set a fiere, to alle that hopen in hym.
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.
Adde thou not ony thing to the wordis of hym, and thou be repreued, and be foundun a liere.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
I preiede thee twei thingis; denye not thou to me, bifor that Y 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;
Make thou fer fro me vanyte and wordis of leesyng; yyue thou not to me beggery and richessis; yyue thou oneli necessaries to my lijflode;
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 perauenture Y be fillid, and be drawun to denye, and seie, Who is the Lord? and lest Y compellid bi nedynesse, stele, and forswere 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.
Accuse thou not a seruaunt to his lord, lest perauenture he curse thee, and thou falle doun.
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.
A generacioun that cursith his fadir, and that blessith not his modir.
12 Some people think that they are perfect, but [really] they have never been cleansed from their guilt for committing disgusting sins.
A generacioun that semeth cleene to it silf, and netheles is not waischun fro hise filthis.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
A generacioun whose iyen ben hiy, and the iye liddis therof ben reisid in to hiy thingis.
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.
A generacioun that hath swerdis for teeth, and etith with hise wank teeth; that it ete nedi men of erthe, and the porails of 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 watir leche hath twei douytris, seiynge, Brynge, bringe. Thre thingis ben vnable to be fillid, and the fourthe, that seith neuere, It suffisith;
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)
helle, and the mouth of the wombe, and the erthe which is neuere fillid with water; but fier seith neuere, It suffisith. (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.
Crowis of the stronde picke out thilke iye, that scorneth the fadir, and that dispisith the child beryng of his modir; and the briddis of an egle ete that iye.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
Thre thingis ben hard to me, and outirli Y knowe not the fourthe thing;
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 weye of an egle in heuene, the weie of a serpent on a stoon, the weie of a schip in the myddil of the see, and the weie of a man in yong wexynge age.
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!”
Siche is the weie of a womman auowtresse, which etith, and wipith hir mouth, and seith, Y wrouyte not yuel.
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
The erthe is moued bi thre thingis, and the fourthe thing, which it may not susteyne;
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
bi a seruaunt, whanne he regneth; bi a fool, whanne he is fillid with mete;
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.
bi an hateful womman, whanne sche is takun in matrymonye; and bi an handmaide, whanne sche is eir of hir ladi.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
Foure ben the leeste thingis of erthe, and tho ben wisere than wise men;
25 Ants are not strong, but they store up food during the summer [in order to have it during the winter].
amtis, a feble puple, that maken redi mete in heruest to hem silf;
26 Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
a hare, a puple vnmyyti, that settith his bed in a stoon;
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
a locust hath no kyng, and al goith out bi cumpanyes; an euete enforsith with hondis,
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
and dwellith in the housis of kingis.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
Thre thingis ben, that goon wel, and the fourthe thing, that goith richeli.
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
A lioun, strongeste of beestis, schal not drede at the meetyng of ony man;
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
a cok gird the leendis, and a ram, and noon is that schal ayenstonde him.
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
He that apperith a fool, aftir that he is reisid an hiy; for if he hadde vndurstonde, he hadde sett hond on his 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.
Forsothe he that thristith strongli teetis, to drawe out mylk, thristith out botere; and he that smytith greetli, drawith out blood; and he that stirith iris, bringith forth discordis.
