Proverbs 30
1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: — I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.
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 brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.
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 went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou knowest!
5 Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting 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.
Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from 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;
Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,
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 become satiated, and have denied, And have said, 'Who [is] Jehovah?' And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of 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 not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found 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.
A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.
12 Some people think that they are perfect, but [really] they have never been cleansed from their guilt for committing disgusting sins.
A generation — pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
A generation — how high are their eyes, Yea, 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.
A generation — swords [are] their teeth, And knives — their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from 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]:
To the leech [are] two daughters, 'Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said 'Sufficiency;'
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, and a restrained womb, Earth — it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire — it hath not said, 'Sufficiency,' (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.
An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:
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 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.
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 — the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, 'I have not done iniquity.'
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four — it is not able to bear:
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
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 a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the 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, And they prepare in summer their food,
26 Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out — each one shouting,
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
An old lion — mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king — no rising up with him.
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil — hand to 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 the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!
