Proverbs 30
The Wisdom of Agur
1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithielto Ithiel and Ucal: The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithielto Ithiel and Ucal:2 Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man.3 I neither learned wisdom Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.4 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 Sons name, If you know?5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die):8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches Feed me with the food allotted to me;9 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.10 Do not malign a servant to his master, Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.11 There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.13 There is a generationoh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.14 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.15 The leech has two daughters Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, Four never say, Enough!:16 The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water And the fire never says, Enough!17 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.18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yes, four which I do not understand:19 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.20 This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, I have done no wickedness.21 For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up:22 For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food,23 A hateful woman when she is married, And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.24 There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:25 The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags;27 The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks;28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings palaces.29 There are three things which are majestic in pace, Yes, four which are stately in walk:30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts And does not turn away from any;31 A greyhound, A male goat also, And a king whose troops are with him.32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, And wringing the nose produces blood, So the forcing of wrath produces strife.
PROVERBS 30
The Sayings of Agur
1 These 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?t
2 I am far too stupid
to be considered human.
3 I never was wise,
and I don't understand
what God is like.”
4 t 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.
5 Everything God says is true—
and it's a shield for all
who come to him for safety.
6 Don't change what God has said!
He will correct you and show
that you are a liar.
7 There are two things, Lord,
I want you to do for me
before I die:
8 Make me absolutely honest
and don't let me be too poor
or too rich.
Give me just what I need.
9 If I have too much to eat,
I might forget about you;
if I don't have enough,
I might steal
and disgrace your name.
10 Don't tell a slave owner
something bad about one
of the slaves.
That slave will curse you,
and you will be in trouble.
11 Some people curse their father
and even their mother;
12 others think they are perfect,
but they are stained by sin.
13 Some people are stuck-up
and act like snobs;
14 others are so greedy
that they gobble up
the poor and homeless.
15 Greedt has twins,
each named “Give me!”
There are three or four things
that are never satisfied:
16 The world of the dead
and a childless wife,
the thirsty earth
and a flaming fire.
17 Don't make fun of your father
or disobey your mother—
crows will peck out your eyes,
and buzzards will eat
the rest of you.
18 There are three or four things
I cannot understand:
19 t How eagles fly so high
or snakes crawl on rocks,
how ships sail the ocean
or people fall in love.
20 An unfaithful wife says,
“Sleeping with another man
is as natural as eating.”
21 There are three or four things
that make the earth tremble
and are unbearable:
22 A slave who becomes king,
a fool who eats too much,
23 a hateful woman
who finds a husband,
and a slave who takes the place
of the woman who owns her.
24 On this earth four things
are small but very wise:
25 Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food
all summer long;
26 badgers, who seem to be weak,
but live among the rocks;
27 locusts, who have no king,
but march like an army;
28 lizards, t which can be caught
in your hand,
but sneak into palaces.
29 Three or four creatures
really strut around:
30 Those fearless lions
who rule the jungle,
31 those proud roosters,
those mountain goats,
and those rulers
who have no enemies.t
32 If you are foolishly bragging
or planning something evil,
then stop it now!
33 If you churn milk
you get butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get blood—
and if you stay angry,
you get in trouble.