Proverbs 30
Legacy Standard Bible
Every Word of God Is Tested
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the [a]oracle.
The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 Surely I am more (A)senseless than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of mankind.
3 Neither have I learned wisdom,
Nor do I know the (B)knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has (C)ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the (D)wind in His fists?
Who has (E)wrapped the waters in [b]His garment?
Who has [c](F)established all the ends of the earth?
What is His (G)name? And what is His (H)Son’s name?
Surely you know!
5 Every (I)word of God is [d]tested;
He is a (J)shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 (K)Do not add to His words
Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar.
7 Two things I asked of You,
Do not withhold from me before I die:
8 Keep worthlessness and every false word far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the (L)food that is my portion,
9 Lest I be (M)full and deny (N)You and say, “Who is Yahweh?”
Or lest I be (O)impoverished and steal,
And [e](P)profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a slave to his master,
Lest he (Q)curse you and you be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that (R)curses its father
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is (S)clean in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh how (T)haughty are its eyes!
And its eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose (U)teeth are like swords
And its (V)fangs like knives,
To (W)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 will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, “Enough”:
16 (X)Sheol, and the (Y)barren womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (Z)mocks a father
And (AA)despises obedience to a mother,
The (AB)ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young (AC)eagles will eat it.
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an (AD)eagle in the sky,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the heart of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.
20 This is the way of an (AE)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot bear up:
22 Under a (AF)slave when he becomes king,
And a wicked fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under [f]an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a servant-girl when she supplants her mistress.
24 Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The (AG)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The [g](AH)shephanim are not a mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the cliff;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (AI)rank;
28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:
30 The lion which is (AJ)mighty among the animals
And does not (AK)turn back before any,
31 The [h]strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.
32 If you have been wickedly foolish in lifting yourself up,
Or if you have schemed evil, (AL)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk brings forth butter,
And pressing the nose brings forth blood;
And pressing (AM)anger brings forth strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or burden
- Proverbs 30:4 Lit the
- Proverbs 30:4 Lit raised up
- Proverbs 30:5 Or tried, cf. 2 Sam 22:31; Ps 18:30
- Proverbs 30:9 Lit take hold of
- Proverbs 30:23 Lit a hated
- Proverbs 30:26 Small, shy, furry animals (Hyrax syriacus)
- Proverbs 30:31 Lit girt in the loins
Proverbs 30
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Words of Agur
The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:[b]
2 I am more stupid than any other man,[c]
and I lack man’s ability to understand.(B)
3 I have not gained wisdom,
and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.(C)
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?(D)
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?(E)
Who has established all the ends of the earth?(F)
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son—
if you know?(G)
5 Every word of God is pure;[d](H)
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.(I)
6 Don’t add to His words,(J)
or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.(K)
7 Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.(L)
9 Otherwise, I might have too much(M)
and deny You,(N) saying, “Who is the Lord?”(O)
or I might have nothing and steal,(P)
profaning[e] the name of my God.(Q)
10 Don’t slander a servant to his master
or he will curse you,(R) and you will become guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses its father
and does not bless its mother.(S)
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,(T)
yet is not washed from its filth.
13 There is a generation—how haughty its eyes
and pretentious its looks.[f]
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,(U)
whose fangs are knives,(V)
devouring the oppressed from the land(W)
and the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things(X) are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough!”:
16 Sheol;(Y) a childless womb;(Z)
earth, which is never satisfied with water;
and fire, which never says, “Enough!”
17 As for the eye that ridicules a father(AA)
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.(AB)
18 Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:
19 the 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.
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”(AC)
21 The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22 a servant when he becomes king,(AD)
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries,(AE)
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
24 Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25 the ants are not a strong people,
yet they store up their food in the summer;(AF)
26 hyraxes are not a mighty people,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;(AG)
27 locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in ranks;(AH)
28 a lizard[g] can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
29 Three things are stately in their stride,
even four are stately in their walk:
30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31 a strutting rooster,[h] a goat,
and a king at the head of his army.[i]
32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself
or if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth.(AI)
33 For the churning of milk produces butter,
and twisting a nose draws blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife.(AJ)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or son of Jakeh from Massa; Pr 31:1
- Proverbs 30:1 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.
- Proverbs 30:2 Lit I am more stupid than a man
- Proverbs 30:5 Lit refined
- Proverbs 30:9 Lit grabbing
- Proverbs 30:13 Lit and its eyelids lifted up
- Proverbs 30:28 Or spider
- Proverbs 30:31 Or a greyhound
- Proverbs 30:31 LXX reads king addressing his people
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