Proverbs 30
30
The Words of Agur
1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. # Or son of Jakeh from Massa ; Pr 31:1 # Nm 24:3; Pr 31:1; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zch 9:1; Mal 1:1
The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: # Hb uncertain. Sometimes read with different word division as oration: I am weary, God, I am weary, God, and I am exhausted, or oration: I am not God, I am not God, that I should prevail. LXX reads My son, fear my words and when you have received them repent. The man says these things to the believers in God, and I pause.
2I am more stupid than any other man, # Lit I am more stupid than a man
and I lack man’s ability to understand. # 1Kg 3:7
3I have not gained wisdom,
and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. # Pr 9:10
4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? # Jn 3:13; Eph 4:9-10
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? # Jb 26:8; 38:9
Who has established all the ends of the earth? # Jb 38:4-5; Ps 93:1; 119:90; Is 45:18
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son —
if you know? # Mt 11:27; Rv 19:12-13
5Every word of God is pure; # Lit refined # Ps 12:6; 18:30
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. # Ps 3:3
6Don’t add to His words, # Dt 4:2; 12:32; Rv 22:18
or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. # Dt 18:22
7Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:
8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need. # Jb 23:12; Mt 6:11; Php 4:11-12
9Otherwise, I might have too much # Dt 6:10-12; 8:11-14
and deny You, # Jos 24:27; Jb 31:28 saying, “Who is the Lord? ” # Ex 5:2
or I might have nothing and steal, # Ex 20:5; Eph 4:28
profaning # Lit grabbing the name of my God. # Lv 19:11-12
10Don’t slander a servant to his master
or he will curse you, # Ec 7:21 and you will become guilty.
11There is a generation that curses its father
and does not bless its mother. # Ex 21:17; Pr 20:20
12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, # Pr 16:2; Lk 18:11
yet is not washed from its filth.
13There is a generation — how haughty its eyes
and pretentious its looks. # Lit and its eyelids lifted up
14There is a generation whose teeth are swords, # Ps 57:4
whose fangs are knives, # Jb 29:17
devouring the oppressed from the land # Ps 14:4
and the needy from among mankind.
15The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things # Pr 6:16; 30:18,21,29 are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough! ”:
16Sheol; # Pr 27:20; Hab 2:5 a childless womb; # Gn 30:1
earth, which is never satisfied with water;
and fire, which never says, “Enough! ”
17As for the eye that ridicules a father # Gn 9:22
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it. # Dt 28:26
18Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:
19the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” # Pr 28:24; 1Jn 1:8
21The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22a servant when he becomes king, # Pr 19:10; Ec 10:7
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23an unloved woman when she marries, # Gn 29:30-31; Dt 21:15
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
24Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25the ants are not a strong people,
yet they store up their food in the summer; # Pr 6:6-8
26hyraxes are not a mighty people,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs; # Lv 11:5; Ps 104:18
27locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in ranks; # Jl 2:7-8
28a lizard # Or spider can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
29Three things are stately in their stride,
even four are stately in their walk:
30a lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31a strutting rooster, # Or a greyhound a goat,
and a king at the head of his army. # LXX reads king addressing his people
32If you have been foolish by exalting yourself
or if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth. # Jb 21:5; Mc 7:16
33For the churning of milk produces butter,
and twisting a nose draws blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife. # Pr 10:12; 29:22
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Proverbs 30: HCSB
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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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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.