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.
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 decided where the ends of the earth will be?
What is his name? And what is his son’s name?
Surely, you know!
5“Every word of God can be trusted.
He protects those who come to him for safety.
6Do not add to his words.
If you do, he will correct you and prove that 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.
I might say, ‘I don’t know the Lord.’
If I am poor, I might steal.
Then I would disgrace the name of my God.
10“Do not say bad things about a servant to his master.
If you do, he will curse you, and you will suffer for it.
11“Some people curse their fathers.
And they 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.
It is as if their jaws are full of knives.
They want to remove the poor people from the earth.
They want to get rid of the needy.
15“Greed has two daughters.
Their names are ‘Give me. Give me.’
There are three things that are never satisfied.
There are really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’
16These things are the cemetery, the childless mother,
the land that never gets enough rain,
and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’
17“Don’t make fun of your father.
Don’t refuse to obey your mother.
If you do, your eye will be pecked out by the birds of the valley.
You will be eaten by hawks.
18“There are three things that are too hard for me.
There are really four that 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 acts with a girl.
20“This is the way a woman who takes part in adultery acts:
She sins and doesn’t care.
She says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’
21“There are three things that make the earth tremble.
There are really four that it cannot stand:
22a servant who becomes a king,
a foolish person who has plenty to eat,
23a hateful 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 powerful animals.
But they can live among the rocks.
27Locusts have no king.
But they all go out in formation.
28And lizards can be caught in the hand.
But they are found even in kings’ palaces.
29“There are three things that strut proudly.
There are really four that walk as if they are important:
30Lions are the proudest animals.
They are strong and run from nothing.
31Roosters and male goats strut proudly.
And so does a king when his army is around him.
32“You may have been foolish and proud.
If you planned evil, cover your mouth.
33Stirring milk makes butter.
Twisting noses makes them bleed.
And stirring up anger makes trouble.”
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Proverbs 30: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Proverbs 30
30
The Words of Agur
1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.#30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.#30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal
2Surely I am too #See Ps. 49:10stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of #ch. 9:10the Holy One.
4Who has #John 3:13 ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has #[Isa. 40:12]; See Job 38:4-11; Ps. 104:3-6 gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has #Job 26:8 wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all #Ps. 22:27 the ends of the earth?
# [Rev. 19:12] What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
Surely you know!
5 #
Ps. 12:6; 18:30 Every word of God proves true;
he is #See Ps. 3:3a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 #
Deut. 4:2; 12:32; [Rev. 22:18] Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
7Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me #Gen. 45:28before I die:
8Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is #Job 23:12; Matt. 6:11; Luke 11:3needful for me,
9lest I be #Deut. 8:12; 31:20; 32:15; Neh. 9:25; [ver. 22] full and #Josh. 24:27 deny you
and say, #Ex. 5:2 “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
# [Job 21:14, 15]; See Ex. 20:7 and profane the name of my God.
10 # [Ps. 15:3; 101:5] Do not slander a servant to his master,
#
Eccles. 7:21
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11There are those#30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14 who #ch. 20:20; [ver. 17]; See Ex. 21:17curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12There are those who are #ch. 16:2; [Luke 18:11; Rev. 3:17]clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
13There are those—how #See Ps. 101:5lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
14There are those whose teeth are #See Ps. 57:4 swords,
whose #Job 29:17 fangs are knives,
to #See Ps. 14:4devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.
15The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give.#30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry
# ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16] Three things are never satisfied;
# ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16] four never say, “Enough”:
16 # See ch. 27:20 Sheol, #[Gen. 30:1]the barren womb,
the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
17The eye that #[ver. 11; Gen. 9:22] mocks a father
and #[ch. 23:22] scorns to obey a mother
will #[Num. 16:14] be picked out by #[Jer. 16:4]the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
18 # [See ver. 15 above] Three things are #See Job 42:3too wonderful for me;
# [See ver. 15 above] four I do not understand:
19the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a virgin.
20This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21Under #[See ver. 15 above] three things #Joel 2:10; Amos 8:8the earth trembles;
under #[See ver. 15 above] four it cannot bear up:
22 # ch. 19:10 a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is #[ver. 9]filled with food;
23 #
Deut. 21:15 an unloved woman when she #[Isa. 54:1; 62:4]gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
24 # [See ver. 15 above] Four things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 # ch. 6:6-8 the ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 #
Lev. 11:5; Ps. 104:18 the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27the locusts have no #[ch. 6:7] king,
yet all of them march in #[Joel 2:7, 8, 25]rank;
28the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 # ver. 15, 18, 21; [ch. 6:16] Three things are stately in their tread;
# ver. 15, 18, 21; [ch. 6:16] four are stately in their stride:
30the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and #[Job 39:22]does not turn back before any;
31the #[Job 40:16]strutting rooster,#30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins the he-goat,
and a king whose army is with him.#30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up
32If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
#
Mic. 7:16; See Job 21:5 put your hand on your mouth.
33For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife.
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