Proverbs 30
30
The Sayings of Agur
1These are the sayings
and the message
of Agur son of Jakeh.
Someone cries out to God,
“I am completely worn out!
How can I last?#30.1 last: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 1.
2I am far too stupid
to be considered human.
3I never was wise,
and I don't understand
what God is like.”
4 #
3 Macc 2.15. Has anyone gone up to heaven
and come back down?
Has anyone grabbed hold
of the wind?
Has anyone wrapped up the sea
or marked out boundaries
for the earth?
If you know of any
who have done such things,
then tell me their names
and their children's names.
5Everything God says is true—
and it's a shield for all
who come to him for safety.
6Don't change what God has said!
He will correct you and show
that you are a liar.
7There are two things, Lord,
I want you to do for me
before I die:
8Make me absolutely honest
and don't let me be too poor
or too rich.
Give me just what I need.
9If I have too much to eat,
I might forget about you;
if I don't have enough,
I might steal
and disgrace your name.
10Don't tell a slave owner
something bad about one
of the slaves.
That slave will curse you,
and you will be in trouble.
11Some people curse their father
and even their mother;
12others think they are perfect,
but they are stained by sin.
13Some people are stuck-up
and act like snobs;
14others are so greedy
that they gobble up
the poor and homeless.
15Greed#30.15 Greed: Or “A leech.” has twins,
each named “Give me!”
There are three or four things
that are never satisfied:
16The world of the dead
and a childless wife,
the thirsty earth
and a flaming fire.
17Don't make fun of your father
or disobey your mother—
crows will peck out your eyes,
and buzzards will eat
the rest of you.
18There are three or four things
I cannot understand:
19 #
Ws 5.10-12. How eagles fly so high
or snakes crawl on rocks,
how ships sail the ocean
or people fall in love.
20An unfaithful wife says,
“Sleeping with another man
is as natural as eating.”
21There are three or four things
that make the earth tremble
and are unbearable:
22A slave who becomes king,
a fool who eats too much,
23a hateful woman
who finds a husband,
and a slave who takes the place
of the woman who owns her.
24On this earth four things
are small but very wise:
25Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food
all summer long;
26badgers, who seem to be weak,
but live among the rocks;
27locusts, who have no king,
but march like an army;
28lizards,#30.28 lizards: Or “spiders.” which can be caught
in your hand,
but sneak into palaces.
29Three or four creatures
really strut around:
30Those fearless lions
who rule the jungle,
31those proud roosters,
those mountain goats,
and those rulers
who have no enemies.#30.31 enemies: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 31.
32If you are foolishly bragging
or planning something evil,
then stop it now!
33If you churn milk
you get butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get blood—
and if you stay angry,
you get in trouble.
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Proverbs 30: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 30
30
1These are the words of Agur, son of Jakeh. An oracle. This is what the man says, God, I'm really tired, I'm worn out.#30:1. This verse is variously translated, mainly depending on whether it refers to named people or what the words actually mean. Since both the Septuagint and the Vulgate do not assume the words to be names, this approach is followed here.
2I'm so stupid I'm not really a man; I can't even think like a human being.
3I have not learned wisdom; I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
4Who has gone up to heaven, and come down? Who holds the winds in the palm of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has set the earth's boundaries? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Are you sure you don't know?#30:4. The point of the questions is to show that no one but the Creator could do all these things.
5Every word God says has been proved true. He defends everyone who comes to him for protection.
6Don't add anything to his words, or he will criticize you and you'll be shown to be a liar.
7God, I want to request two things from you. Please don't refuse to let me have them before I come to die.
8Keep me from being false, help me not to tell lies. Don't make me poor or rich; just provide me with the food I need.
9Otherwise if I have plenty of money,#30:9. “I have plenty of money”: literally, “I'm full.” I may give up on you, saying, “Who is the Lord?” while if I'm poor I may steal and bring the name of my God into disrepute.
10Don't slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you and you'll suffer for it.
11There are some who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
12There are some who see themselves as pure but they're still filthy—they have not been washed.
13There are some who think themselves so high and mighty, and who look down on others.
14There are some who have teeth like swords, incisors like knives, ready to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from society.
15The leech has two daughters who cry out, “Give me! Give me!”
There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, “Enough!”:
16The grave, the womb that doesn't become pregnant, the earth thirsty for water, and the fire that never says, “Enough!”
17People who ridicule their fathers and despise obedience to the mother will have their eyes pecked out by wild ravens and eaten by young vultures.
18These three things are amazingly hard for me, four things I just can't understand:
19The way an eagle soars in the sky, the way a snake slides over a rock, the way a ship sails across the sea, the way a man and a woman fall in love.
20This is the way of a woman who commits adultery: she eats,#30:20. This is often assumed to refer to the act of adultery. she wipes her mouth, and then says, “I haven't done anything wrong!”
21Three things make the earth tremble, there are four things it can't support:
22a slave becoming a king, a stupid person eating like a pig,
23an unbearable woman getting married, and a maidservant taking her mistress's place.
24There are four things on earth that are small, but very wise:
25Ants—they're not strong, but they work hard all summer storing up food.
26Hyraxes#30:26. Also known as rock badgers or coneys.—they don't have much power, but they make their homes in the rock.
27Locusts—they don't have a king, but they all march in line abreast.
28Lizards—you can catch them in your hands, but they live in the king's palace.
29There are three things that are glorious to watch as they walk, four that look dignified as they move:
30The lion, supreme among wild animals, who isn't frightened of anything.
31The strutting starling,#30:31. “Starling”: as per modern Hebrew and Aramaic, some ancient versions have “rooster.” the male goat, and a king with his army.
32If you have been foolishly boasting about yourself, or if you've been planning to do something wrong, stop and put your hand over your mouth.
33Just as churning milk produces butter, and twisting someone's nose makes it bleed, so stirring up anger causes arguments.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com