Proverbs 30
30
1The words of Agur, son of Jakeh. Agur’s prophetic revelation.
Agur Speaks about God
[ TO GOD ]
This man’s declaration:
“I’m weary, O God.
I’m weary and worn out, O God.
2I’m more ⌞like⌟ a dumb animal than a human being.
I don’t ⌞even⌟ have human understanding.
3I haven’t learned wisdom.
I don’t have knowledge of the Holy One.#30:3 Or “holy ones.”
[ TO THE AUDIENCE ]
4“Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the palm of his hand?
Who has wrapped water in a garment?
Who has set up the earth from one end to the other?
What is his name or the name of his son?
Certainly, you must know!
5“All of God’s word has proven to be true.
He is a shield to those who come to him for protection.
6Do not add to his words,
or he will reprimand you, and you will be found to be a liar.
A Prayer
[ TO GOD]
7“I’ve asked you for two things.
Don’t keep them from me before I die:
8Keep vanity and lies far away from me.
Don’t give me either poverty or riches.
Feed me ⌞only⌟ the food I need,
9or I may feel satisfied and deny you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
or I may become poor and steal
and give the name of my God a bad reputation.
Against Slander
[ TO THE AUDIENCE]
10“Do not slander a slave to his master.
The slave will curse you,
and you will be found guilty.”
Four Kinds of People
11A certain kind of person curses his father
and does not bless his mother.
12A certain kind of person thinks he is pure
but is not washed from his own feces.#30:12 Blunt Hebrew term but not considered vulgar.
13A certain kind of person looks around arrogantly
and is conceited.
14A certain kind of person,
whose teeth are like swords
and whose jaws are ⌞like⌟ knives,
devours oppressed people from the earth
and people from among humanity.
Human Bloodsuckers
15The bloodsucking leech has two daughters—“Give!” and “Give!”
Four Things That Are Never Satisfied
Three things are never satisfied.
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16the grave,
a barren womb,
a land that never gets enough water,
a fire that does not say, “Enough!”
Disrespectful Children—Their Punishment
17The eye that makes fun of a father and hates to obey a mother
will be plucked out by ravens in the valley and eaten by young vultures.
Four Things of Intrigue
18Three things are too amazing to me,
even four that I cannot understand:
19an eagle making its way through the sky,
a snake making its way over a rock,
a ship making its way through high seas,
a man making his way with a virgin.
About the Woman Who Commits Adultery
20This is the way of a woman who commits adultery:
She eats, wipes her mouth,
and says, “I haven’t done anything wrong!”
Four Things That Are Intolerable
21Three things cause the earth to tremble,
even four it cannot bear up under:
22a slave when he becomes king,
a godless fool when he is filled with food,
23a woman who is unloved when she gets married,
a maid when she replaces her mistress.
Four Things That Are Small—Yet Smart and Strong
24Four things on earth are small,
yet they are very wise:
25Ants are not a strong species,
yet they store their food in summer.
26Rock badgers are not a mighty species,
yet they make their home in the rocks.
27Locusts have no king,
yet all of them divide into swarms by instinct.
28A lizard you can hold in your hands,
yet it can even be found in royal palaces.
Four Things That Move with Dignity
29There are three things that walk with dignity,
even four that march with dignity:
30a lion, mightiest among animals, which turns away from nothing,
31a strutting rooster,
a male goat,
a king at the head of his army.
Keep Calm and Quiet
32If you are such a godless fool as to honor yourself,
or if you scheme,
you had better put your hand over your mouth.
33As churning milk produces butter
and punching a nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger #30:33 In Hebrew there is a play on words in verse 33 where the same verb is used to express all three actions. produces a fight.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 30
30
The Words of Agur
1The words of #30:1 The identity of Agur, author of this chapter, is uncertain.Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle:
The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:
2Surely #30:2 This may be viewed as either a sarcastic response to an unknown critic, or simply the sincere reflections of a humble man.I am more brutish and stupid than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].
3I have not learned [skillful and godly] wisdom,
Nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One [who is the source of wisdom].
4Who has ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in His garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?
Certainly you know! [John 3:13; Rev 19:12]
5¶Every word of God is tested and refined [like silver];
He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him. [Ps 18:30; 84:11; 115:9-11]
6Do not add to His words,
Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar.
7¶Two things I have asked of You;
Do not deny them to me before I die:
8Keep deception and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
9So that I will not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I will not be poor and steal,
And so profane the name of my God. [Deut 8:12, 14, 17; Neh 9:25, 26; Job 31:24; Hos 13:6]
10¶Do not slander or malign a servant before his master [stay out of another’s personal life],
Or he will curse you [for your interference], and you will be found guilty.
11¶There is a generation (class of people) that curses its father
And does not bless its mother.
12There is a generation (class of people) that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13There is a generation (class of people)—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are raised in arrogance.
14There is a generation (class of people) whose teeth are like swords
And whose jaw teeth are like knives,
To devour the afflicted from the earth
And the needy from among men.
15¶The leech has two daughters,
“Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four that do not say, “It is enough”:
16 # 30:16 Hades, the nether world, the place of the dead. Sheol, and the barren womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “It is enough.”
17The eye that mocks a father
And scorns a mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young vultures will devour it. [Lev 20:9; Prov 20:20; 23:22]
18¶There are three things which are too astounding and unexpectedly wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:
19The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a maid.
20This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21¶Under three things the earth is disquieted and quakes,
And under four it cannot bear up:
22Under a servant when he reigns,
Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food,
23Under an unloved woman when she gets married,
And under a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.
24¶There are four things that are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25The ants are not a strong people,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer; [Prov 6:6]
26The #30:26 Small, shy, furry animals, (Hyrax syriacus) found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and in the region around the Dead Sea; KJV coney, orig NASB badgers.shephanim are not a mighty folk,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks; [Ps 104:18]
27The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in groups;
28You may grasp the lizard with your hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29¶There are three things which are stately in step,
Even four which are stately in their stride:
30The lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn back before any;
31The #30:31 Lit girt in the loins. The meaning of the Hebrew is unclear. Other translations propose greyhound.strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And the king when his army is with him.
32¶If you have foolishly exalted yourself,
Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth. [Job 21:5; 40:4]
33Surely the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood;
So the churning of anger produces strife.
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