¹⁵ The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:
¹⁶ The grave,^[a]
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^[b] 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^[c] 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,^[d]
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops are with him.^[e]

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.

² What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
³ Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
⁵ Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
⁶ Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
⁷ Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

⁸ Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.^[f]
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.