Proverbs 30:1-25

Proverbs 30:1-28 The Message (MSG)

The skeptic swore, “There is no God! No God!—I can do anything I want! I’m more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me. “I flunked ‘wisdom.’ I see no evidence of a holy God. Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now—tell me!” The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don’t second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.” And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things before I die; don’t refuse me— Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I’m too full, I might get independent, saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’ If I’m poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God.” * * * Don’t blow the whistle on your fellow workers behind their backs; They’ll accuse you of being underhanded, and then you’ll be the guilty one! Don’t curse your father or fail to bless your mother. Don’t imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven’t had a bath in weeks. Don’t be stuck-up and think you’re better than everyone else. Don’t be greedy, merciless and cruel as wolves, Tearing into the poor and feasting on them, shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them. A freeloader has twin daughters named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.” Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”— hell, a barren womb, a parched land, a forest fire. * * * An eye that disdains a father and despises a mother— that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures and consumed by young eagles. Three things amaze me, no, four things I’ll never understand— how an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do. * * * Here’s how a prostitute operates: she has sex with her client, Takes a bath, then asks, “Who’s next?” Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations— when the janitor becomes the boss, when a fool gets rich, when a prostitute is voted “woman of the year,” when a “girlfriend” replaces a faithful wife. There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are

Proverbs 30:1-25 King James Version (KJV)

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: The man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, Nor have the knowledge of the holy. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, If thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Two things have I required of thee; Deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And take the name of my God in vain. Accuse not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. There is a generation that curseth their father, And doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, Yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; The earth that is not filled with water; And the fire that saith not, It is enough. The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it. There be three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not: The 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 with a maid. Such is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness. For three things the earth is disquieted, And for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; And a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; And an handmaid that is heir to her mistress. There be four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their meat in the summer

Proverbs 30:1-25 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle. T he man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man. Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know! Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God. Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty. There is a kind of man who curses his father And does not bless his mother. There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness. There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men. The leech has two daughters, “Give,” “Give.” There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, “Enough”: Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, “Enough.” The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the sky, 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. This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wrong.” Under three things the earth quakes, And under four, it cannot bear up: Under a slave when he becomes king, And a fool when he is satisfied with food, Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband, And a maidservant when she supplants her mistress. Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise: The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer

Proverbs 30:1-25 New Century Version (NCV)

These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh. This is his message to Ithiel and Ucal: “I am the most stupid person there is, and I have no understanding. I have not learned to be wise, and I don’t know much about God, the Holy One. Who 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 set in place the ends of the earth? What is his name or his son’s name? Tell me, if you know! “Every word of God is true. He guards those who come to him for safety. Do not add to his words, or he will correct you and prove you are a liar. “I ask two things from you, LORD. Don’t refuse me before I die. Keep me from lying and being dishonest. And don’t make me either rich or poor; just give me enough food for each day. If I have too much, I might reject you and say, ‘I don’t know the LORD.’ If I am poor, I might steal and disgrace the name of my God. “Do not say bad things about servants to their masters, or they will curse you, and you will suffer for it. “Some people curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. Some people think they are pure, but they are not really free from evil. Some people have such a proud look! They look down on others. Some people have teeth like swords; their jaws seem full of knives. They want to remove the poor from the earth and the needy from the land. “Greed has two daughters named ‘Give’ and ‘Give.’ There are three things that are never satisfied, really four that never say, ‘I’ve had enough!’: the cemetery, the childless mother, the land that never gets enough rain, and fire that never says, ‘I’ve had enough!’ “If you make fun of your father and refuse to obey your mother, the birds of the valley will peck out your eyes, and the vultures will eat them. “There are three things that are too hard for me, really four I don’t understand: the 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 and a woman fall in love. “This is the way of a woman who takes part in adultery: She acts as if she had eaten and washed her face; she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’ “There are three things that make the earth tremble, really four it cannot stand: a servant who becomes a king, a foolish person who has plenty to eat, a hated woman who gets married, and a maid who replaces her mistress. “There are four things on earth that are small, but they are very wise: Ants are not very strong, but they store up food in the summer.

Proverbs 30:1-25 American Standard Version (ASV)

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man; And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One. Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest? Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him. Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Two things have I asked of thee; Deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God. Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty. There is a generation that curse their father, And bless not their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And yet are not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, Yea, four that say not, Enough: Sheol; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not, Enough. The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it. There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not: The 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 with a maiden. So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness. For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear: For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food; For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress. There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer

Proverbs 30:1-25 New International Version (NIV)

The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. This man’s utterance to Ithiel: “I am weary, God, but I can prevail. Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know! “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. “Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. “Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it. “There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth; those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful; those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind. “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’ “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures. “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman. “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’ “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress. “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer

Proverbs 30:1-25 New King James Version (NKJV)

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom Nor have knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know? Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. Do not malign a servant to his master, Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty. There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, And whose fangs are like knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men. The leech has two daughters— Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, Four never say, “Enough!”: The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water— And the fire never says, “Enough!” The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the midst of the sea, And the way of a man with a virgin. This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wickedness.” For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food, A hateful woman when she is married, And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress. There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer

Proverbs 30:1-25 Amplified Bible (AMP)

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle: T he man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal: Surely 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]. I have not learned [skillful and godly] wisdom, Nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One [who is the source of wisdom]. Who 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] ¶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] Do not add to His words, Or He will reprove you, and you will be found a liar. ¶Two things I have asked of You; Do not deny them to me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, So 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] ¶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. ¶There is a generation (class of people) that curses its father And does not bless its mother. There is a generation (class of people) that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation (class of people)—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are raised in arrogance. There 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. ¶The leech has two daughters, “Give, give!” There are three things that are never satisfied, Four that do not say, “It is enough”: Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, “It is enough.” The 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] ¶There are three things which are too astounding and unexpectedly wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand: The 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. This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth And says, “I have done no wrong.” ¶Under three things the earth is disquieted and quakes, And under four it cannot bear up: Under a servant when he reigns, Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food, Under an unloved woman when she gets married, And under a maidservant when she supplants her mistress. ¶There are four things that are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise: The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer; [Prov 6:6]

Proverbs 30:1-25 New Living Translation (NLT)

The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense. I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One. Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name? Tell me if you know! Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it. Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed. They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances. They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity. The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” There are three things that are never satisfied— no, four that never say, “Enough!”: the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire. The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures. There are three things that amaze me— no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman. An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?” There are three things that make the earth tremble— no, four it cannot endure: a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers, a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress. There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer.

Proverbs 30:1-25 The Passion Translation (TPT)

These are the collected sayings of the prophet Agur, Jakeh’s son — the amazing revelation he imparted to Ithiel and Ukal. God, I’m so weary and worn out, I feel more like a beast than a man. I was made in your image, but I lack understanding. I’ve yet to learn the wisdom that comes from the full and intimate knowledge of you, the Holy One. Who is it that travels back and forth from the heavenly realm to the earth? Who controls the wind as it blows and holds it in his fists? Who tucks the rain into the cloak of his clouds? Who stretches out the skyline from one vista to the other? What is his name? And what is the name of his Son? Who can tell me? Every promise from the faithful God is pure and proves to be true. He is a wraparound shield of protection for all his lovers who run to hide in him. Never add to his words, or he will have to rebuke you and prove that you’re a liar. God, there are two things I’m asking you for before I die, only two: Empty out of my heart everything that is false— every lie, and every crooked thing. And give me neither undue poverty nor undue wealth— but rather, feed my soul with the measure of prosperity that pleases you. May my satisfaction be found in you. Don’t let me be so rich that I don’t need you or so poor that I have to resort to dishonesty just to make ends meet. Then my life will never detract from bringing glory to your name. Never defame a servant before his master, for you will be the guilty one and a curse will come upon you. There is a generation rising that curses their fathers and speaks evil of their mothers. There is a generation rising that considers themselves to be pure in their own eyes, yet they are morally filthy, unwashed, and unclean. There is a generation rising that is so filled with pride, they think they are superior and look down on others. There is a generation rising that uses their words like swords to cut and slash those who are different. They would devour the poor, the needy, and the afflicted from off the face of the earth! There are three words to describe the greedy: “Give me more!” There are some things that are never satisfied. Forever craving more, they’re unable to say, “That’s enough!” Here are four: the grave, yawning for another victim, the barren womb, ever wanting a child, thirsty soil, ever longing for rain, and a raging fire, devouring its fuel. They’re all insatiable. The eye that mocks his father and dishonors his elderly mother deserves to be plucked out by the ravens of the valley and fed to the young vultures! There are four marvelous mysteries that are too amazing to unravel — who could fully explain them? The way an eagle flies in the sky, the way a snake glides on a boulder, the path of a ship as it passes through the sea, and the way a bridegroom falls in love with his bride. Here is the deceptive way of the adulterous woman: she takes what she wants and then says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” There are four intolerable events that are simply unbearable to observe: when an unfaithful servant becomes a ruler, when a scoundrel comes into great wealth, when an unfaithful woman marries a good man, and when a mistress replaces a faithful wife. The earth has four creatures that are very small but very wise: The feeble ant has little strength, yet look how it diligently gathers its food in the summer to last throughout the winter.

Proverbs 30:1-25 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift! There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind. The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.” The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the 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. This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done no wrong.” Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer