Proverbs 30
30
Sayings of Agur
1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.
This man’s utterance to Ithiel:
“I am weary, God,
but I can prevail.#30:1 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:
2Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
I do not have human understanding.
3I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.
4Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Whose hands have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
Surely you know!
5“Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.
7“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
8Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
10“Do not slander a servant to their master,
or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.
11“There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers;
12those who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
13those whose eyes are ever so haughty,
whose glances are so disdainful;
14those whose teeth are swords
and whose jaws are set with knives
to devour the poor from the earth
and the needy from among mankind.
15“The leech has two daughters.
‘Give! Give!’ they cry.
“There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16the grave, the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
17“The eye that mocks a father,
that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
will be eaten by the vultures.
18“There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:
19the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20“This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth
and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’
21“Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot bear up:
22a servant who becomes king,
a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23a contemptible woman who gets married,
and a servant who displaces her mistress.
24“Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;
26hyraxes are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;
27locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;
28a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
29“There are three things that are stately in their stride,
four that move with stately bearing:
30a lion, mighty among beasts,
who retreats before nothing;
31a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
and a king secure against revolt.#30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
32“If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
or if you plan evil,
clap your hand over your mouth!
33For as churning cream produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife.”
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Proverbs 30: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Proverbs 30
30
1Words 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.
2For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.
3Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.
4Who 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!
5Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him.
6Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.
7Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die.
8Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,
9Lest 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.
10Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.
11A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.
12A generation — pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.
13A generation — how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.
14A generation — swords [are] their teeth, And knives — their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.
15To the leech [are] two daughters, ‘Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said ‘Sufficiency;’
16Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth — it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire — it hath not said, ‘Sufficiency,’
17An 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.
18Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:
19The 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.
20So — the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, ‘I have not done iniquity.’
21For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four — it is not able to bear:
22For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,
23For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.
24Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:
25The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,
26Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,
27A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out — each one shouting,
28A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.
29Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:
30An old lion — mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,
31A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king — no rising up with him.
32If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil — hand to mouth!
33For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!
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