Proverbs 30
30
The Sayings of Agur
1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message.#30:1a Or son of Jakeh from Massa; or son of Jakeh, an oracle.
I am weary, O God;
I am weary and worn out, O God.#30:1b The Hebrew can also be translated The man declares this to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and to Ucal.
2I am too stupid to be human,
and I lack common sense.
3I have not mastered human wisdom,
nor do I know the Holy One.
4Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down?
Who holds the wind in his fists?
Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak?
Who has created the whole wide world?
What is his name—and his son’s name?
Tell me if you know!
5Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
6Do not add to his words,
or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.
7O God, I beg two favors from you;
let me have them before I die.
8First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
9For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.
10Never slander a worker to the employer,
or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.
11Some people curse their father
and do not thank their mother.
12They are pure in their own eyes,
but they are filthy and unwashed.
13They look proudly around,
casting disdainful glances.
14They have teeth like swords
and fangs like knives.
They devour the poor from the earth
and the needy from among humanity.
15The leech has two suckers
that cry out, “More, more!”#30:15 Hebrew two daughters who cry out, “Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied—
no, four that never say, “Enough!”:
16the grave,#30:16 Hebrew Sheol.
the barren womb,
the thirsty desert,
the blazing fire.
17The eye that mocks a father
and despises a mother’s instructions
will be plucked out by ravens of the valley
and eaten by vultures.
18There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:
19how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman.
20An adulterous woman consumes a man,
then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”
21There are three things that make the earth tremble—
no, four it cannot endure:
22a slave who becomes a king,
an overbearing fool who prospers,
23a bitter woman who finally gets a husband,
a servant girl who supplants her mistress.
24There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
25Ants—they aren’t strong,
but they store up food all summer.
26Hyraxes#30:26 Or Coneys, or Rock badgers.—they aren’t powerful,
but they make their homes among the rocks.
27Locusts—they have no king,
but they march in formation.
28Lizards—they are easy to catch,
but they are found even in kings’ palaces.
29There are three things that walk with stately stride—
no, four that strut about:
30the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything,
31the strutting rooster,
the male goat,
a king as he leads his army.
32If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil,
cover your mouth in shame.
33As the beating of cream yields butter
and striking the nose causes bleeding,
so stirring up anger causes quarrels.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Proverbs 30
30
Wise Words from Agur
1These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh.
This is his message to Ithiel and Ucal:
2“I am the most stupid person there is,
and I have no understanding.
3I have not learned to be wise,
and I don’t know much about God, the Holy One.
4Who has gone up to heaven and come back down?
Who can hold the wind in his hand?
Who can gather up the waters in his coat?
Who has set in place the ends of the earth?
What is his name or his son’s name?
Tell me, if you know!
5“Every word of God is true.
He guards those who come to him for safety.
6Do not add to his words,
or he will correct you and prove you are a liar.
7“I ask two things from you, Lord.
Don’t refuse me before I die.
8Keep me from lying and being dishonest.
And don’t make me either rich or poor;
just give me enough food for each day.
9If I have too much, I might reject you
and say, ‘I don’t know the Lord.’
If I am poor, I might steal
and disgrace the name of my God.
10“Do not say bad things about servants to their masters,
or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it.
11“Some people curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12Some people think they are pure,
but they are not really free from evil.
13Some people have such a proud look!
They look down on others.
14Some people have teeth like swords;
their jaws seem full of knives.
They want to remove the poor from the earth
and the needy from the land.
15“Greed has two daughters
named ‘Give’ and ‘Give.’
There are three things that are never satisfied,
really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’:
16the cemetery, the childless mother,
the land that never gets enough rain,
and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’
17“If you make fun of your father
and refuse to obey your mother,
the birds of the valley will peck out your eyes,
and the vultures will eat them.
18“There are three things that are too hard for me,
really four I don’t understand:
19the way an eagle flies in the sky,
the way a snake slides over a rock,
the way a ship sails on the sea,
and the way a man and a woman fall in love.
20“This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery:
She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face;
she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’
21“There are three things that make the earth tremble,
really four it cannot stand:
22a servant who becomes a king,
a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23a hated woman who gets married,
and a maid who replaces her mistress.
24“There are four things on earth that are small,
but they are very wise:
25Ants are not very strong,
but they store up food in the summer.
26Rock badgers are not very powerful,
but they can live among the rocks.
27Locusts have no king,
but they all go forward in formation.
28Lizards can be caught in the hand,
but they are found even in kings’ palaces.
29“There are three things that strut proudly,
really four that walk as if they were important:
30a lion, the proudest animal,
which is strong and runs from nothing,
31a rooster, a male goat,
and a king when his army is around him.
32“If you have been foolish and proud,
or if you have planned evil, shut your mouth.
33Just as stirring milk makes butter,
and twisting noses makes them bleed,
so stirring up anger causes trouble.”
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