Proverbs 30
30
Words of Agur
1The words of Agur, Jakeh’s son, from Massa.
The man declares: I’m tired, God;
I’m tired, God, and I’m exhausted.
2Actually, I’m too stupid to be human,
a man without understanding.
3I haven’t learned wisdom,
nor do I have knowledge of the holy one.
4Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind by the handful?
Who has bound up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is this person’s name and the name of this person’s child—
if you know it?
5All God’s words are tried and true;
a shield for those who take refuge in him.
6Don’t add to his words,
or he will correct you and show you to be a liar.
7Two things I ask of you;
don’t keep them from me before I die:
8Fraud and lies—
keep far from me!
Don’t give me either poverty or wealth;
give me just the food I need.
9Or I’ll be full and deny you,
and say, “Who is the LORD?”
Or I’ll be poor and steal,
and dishonor my God’s name.
More sayings of the wise
10Don’t slander a servant to his master;
otherwise, the servant will curse you, and you will be guilty.
11There are those who curse their father
and don’t bless their mother.
12There are those who think they are clean,
but haven’t washed off their own excrement.
13There are those—
how arrogant are their eyes;
how their eyebrows are raised!
14There are those whose teeth are swords;
their jaw is a butcher’s knife,
ready to devour the needy from the earth,
and the poor from humanity.
15The leech has two daughters: “Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, “Enough!”:
16the grave#30.16 Heb Sheol and a barren womb,
a land never filled with water,
and fire that doesn’t say, “Enough!”
17An eye that mocks a father
and rejects obedience to a mother,
may the ravens of the river valley peck it out,
and the eagle’s young eat it.
18Three things are too wonderful for me,
four that I can’t figure out:
19the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on the rock,
the way of a ship out on the open sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20This is the way of an adulterous woman:
she eats and wipes her mouth,
and she says, “I’ve done nothing wrong!”
21At three things the earth trembles,
at four it can’t bear up:
22at a servant when he becomes king
and fools when they are full of food;
23at a detested woman when she gets married
and a female servant when she replaces her mistress.
24Four things are among the smallest on earth,
but they are extremely wise:
25Ants as creatures aren’t strong,
but they store away their food in the summer.
26Badgers as creatures aren’t powerful,
but they make their homes in the rocks.
27Locusts don’t have a king,
but they march together in ranks.
28You can catch lizards in your hand,
but they are in kings’ palaces.
29There are three things that are excellent in their stride,
four that are excellent as they walk:
30a lion, a warrior among beasts,
which doesn’t back down at anything;
31the strut of a rooster or a male goat;
and a king with his army.
32If you’ve been foolish and arrogant,
if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand to your mouth,
33because churning milk makes curds,
squeezing the nose brings blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 30
30
1The words of Gatherer the son of Vomiter. The vision which the man spoke with whom God is, and who being strengthened by God, abiding with him, said:
2I am the most foolish of men, and the wisdom of men is not with me.
3I have not learned wisdom, and have not known the science of saints.
4Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? who hath held the wind in his hands? who hath bound up the waters together as in a garment? who hath raised up all the borders of the earth? what is his name, and what is the name of his son, if thou knowest?
5Every word of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him.
6Add not any thing to his words, lest thou be reproved, and found a liar:
7Two things I have asked of thee, deny them not to me before I die.
8Remove far from me vanity, and lying words. Give me neither beggary, nor riches: give me only the necessaries of life:
9Lest perhaps being filled, I should be tempted to deny, and say: Who is the Lord? or being compelled by poverty, I should steal, and forswear the name of my God.
10Accuse not a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou fall.
11There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12A generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13A generation, whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up on high.
14A generation, that for teeth hath swords, and grindeth with their jaw teeth, to devour the needy from off the earth, and the poor from among men.
15The horseleech hath two daughters that say: Bring, bring. There are three things that never are satisfied, and the fourth never saith: It is enough.
16Hell, and the mouth of the womb, and the earth which is not satisfied with water: and the fire never saith: It is enough.
17The eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.
18Three things are hard to me, and the fourth I am utterly ignorant of.
19The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man in youth.
20Such is also the way of an adulterous woman, who eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith: I have done no evil.
21By three things the earth is disturbed, and the fourth it cannot bear:
22By a slave when he reigneth: by a fool when he is filled with meat:
23By an odious woman when she is married: and by a bondwoman when she is heir to her mistress.
24There are four very little things of the earth, and they are wiser than the wise:
25The ants, a feeble people, which provide themselves food in the harvest:
26The rabbit, a weak people, which maketh its bed in the rock:
27The locust hath no king, yet they all go out by their bands.
28The stellio supporteth itself on hands, and dwelleth in kings' houses.
29There are three things, which go well, and the fourth that walketh happily:
30A lion, the strongest of beasts, who hath no fear of any thing he meeteth:
31A cock girded about the loins: and a ram: and a king, whom none can resist.
32There is that hath appeared a fool after he was lifted up on high: for if he had understood, he would have laid his hand upon his mouth.
33And he that strongly squeezeth the papa to bring out milk, straineth out butter: and he that violently bloweth his nose, bringeth out blood: and he that provoketh wrath bringeth forth strife.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.