Proverbs 30
World English Bible
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the revelation:
the man says to Ithiel,
to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 “Surely I am the most ignorant man,
and don’t have a man’s understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
neither do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended up 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, if you know?
5 “Every word of God is flawless.
He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Don’t you add to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.
7 “Two things I have asked of you.
Don’t deny me before I die.
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies.
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.
10 “Don’t slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses their father,
and doesn’t bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes,
yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes!
Their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
and their jaws like knives,
to devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.
15 “The leech has two daughters:
‘Give, give.’
“There are three things that are never satisfied;
four that don’t say, ‘Enough:’
16 Sheol,[a]
the barren womb,
the earth that is not satisfied with water,
and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough.’
17 “The eye that mocks at his father,
and scorns obedience to his mother:
the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
the young eagles shall eat it.
18 “There are three things which are too amazing for me,
four which I don’t 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 middle of the sea,
and the way of a man with a maiden.
20 “So is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’
21 “For three things the earth trembles,
and under four, it can’t bear up:
22 For a servant when he is king,
a fool when he is filled with food,
23 for an unloved woman when she is married,
and a servant who is heir to her mistress.
24 “There are four things which are little on the earth,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are not a strong people,
yet they provide their food in the summer.
26 The hyraxes are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks.
27 The locusts have no king,
yet they advance in ranks.
28 You can catch a lizard with your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 “There are three things which are stately in their march,
four which are stately in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among animals,
and doesn’t turn away for any;
31 the greyhound;
the male goat;
and the king against whom there is no rising up.
32 “If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself,
or if you have thought evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
and the wringing of the nose produces blood;
so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
Footnotes
- 30:16 Sheol is the place of the dead.
Proverbs 30
Lexham English Bible
The Oracle of Agur
30 The words of Agur, son of Yakeh, the oracle.
Thus says the man to Ithiel, to Ithiel, and Ucal:[a]
2 Certainly I am more stupid than a man,
and the understanding of humankind is not for me.
3 And I have not learned wisdom,
nor will I know knowledge of the Holy One.[b]
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of his hand?
Who has wrapped water in a[c] garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name and what is the name of his child?
For surely you know.
5 Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield for him who takes refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
7 Two things I ask from you;
do not deny me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and a lying word[d] far from me;
do not give me poverty or wealth;
provide me with food only for my need.
9 Or else I will be satisfied and will deny him
and say “Who is Yahweh?”
Or[e] I will be poor and will steal
and profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master,
or else he will curse you and you will be guilty.
11 There is a generation that will curse its father,
and its mother it will not bless.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
but from its filthiness it will not be cleansed.
13 There is a generation—how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids they will lift.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,
and its jawbones, knives,
in order to devour the poor from the earth[f]
and the needy from humankind.
15 For the leech, there are two daughters;
“Give, give!” they cry.
As for three of these, they are not satisfied;
as for four, they do not say enough.
16 Sheol[g] and barrenness of womb,
the land is not satisfied with water,
and fire does not say “enough!”
17 The eye that mocks a father
and scorns the obedience of a mother—
the ravens of the valley will peck it out,
and the offspring of vultures will eat it.
18 Three of these are too wonderful for me,
and four, I do not understand them:
19 the way of the eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship in the heart of the sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is the way of a woman committing adultery:
she eats and wipes her mouth,
and says “I have not done wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth[h] trembles,
and under four, it is not able to bear up:
22 under a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is satisfied with food;
23 under an unloved woman when she gets married,
and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.
24 There are four small things on the earth,
and they are exceedingly wise:[i]
25 The ants are a people who are not strong,
yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 the badgers are a people who are not mighty,
yet they set their house on the rock;
27 there is no king for the locust,
yet it marches in rank;
28 a lizard you can seize with hands,
yet it is in palaces of kings.
29 There are three things that are magnificent of stride,
and four that are magnificent when moving:
30 a mighty lion among the beasts,[j]
but he will not turn back from any face;[k]
31 a strutting rooster or he-goat,
and a king whose army is with him.
32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself,
and if you have devised evil, put your hand to your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curd,
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger[l] produces strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or “I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out”
- Proverbs 30:3 Or “holy ones”
- Proverbs 30:4 Hebrew “the”
- Proverbs 30:8 Literally “word of a lie”
- Proverbs 30:9 Or “Lest”
- Proverbs 30:14 Or “land”
- Proverbs 30:16 A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld
- Proverbs 30:21 Or “land”
- Proverbs 30:24 Literally “wise ones from wise ones”
- Proverbs 30:30 Hebrew “beasts”
- Proverbs 30:30 Literally “faces of all”
- Proverbs 30:33 Literally “nostrils”
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