Proverbs 30
Common English Bible
Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur, Jakeh’s son, from Massa.
The man declares: I’m tired, God;
I’m tired, God, and I’m exhausted.
2 Actually, I’m too stupid to be human,
a man without understanding.
3 I haven’t learned wisdom,
nor do I have knowledge of the holy one.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind by the handful?
Who has bound up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is this person’s name and the name of this person’s child—
if you know it?
5 All God’s words are tried and true;
a shield for those who take refuge in him.
6 Don’t add to his words,
or he will correct you and show you to be a liar.
7 Two things I ask of you;
don’t keep them from me before I die:
8 Fraud and lies—
keep far from me!
Don’t give me either poverty or wealth;
give me just the food I need.
9 Or I’ll be full and deny you,
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or I’ll be poor and steal,
and dishonor my God’s name.
More sayings of the wise
10 Don’t slander a servant to his master;
otherwise, the servant will curse you, and you will be guilty.
11 There are those who curse their father
and don’t bless their mother.
12 There are those who think they are clean,
but haven’t washed off their own excrement.
13 There are those—
how arrogant are their eyes;
how their eyebrows are raised!
14 There are those whose teeth are swords;
their jaw is a butcher’s knife,
ready to devour the needy from the earth,
and the poor from humanity.
15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, “Enough!”:
16 the grave[a] and a barren womb,
a land never filled with water,
and fire that doesn’t say, “Enough!”
17 An eye that mocks a father
and rejects obedience to a mother,
may the ravens of the river valley peck it out,
and the eagle’s young eat it.
18 Three things are too wonderful for me,
four that I can’t figure out:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on the rock,
the way of a ship out on the open sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
she eats and wipes her mouth,
and she says, “I’ve done nothing wrong!”
21 At three things the earth trembles,
at four it can’t bear up:
22 at a servant when he becomes king
and fools when they are full of food;
23 at a detested woman when she gets married
and a female servant when she replaces her mistress.
24 Four things are among the smallest on earth,
but they are extremely wise:
25 Ants as creatures aren’t strong,
but they store away their food in the summer.
26 Badgers as creatures aren’t powerful,
but they make their homes in the rocks.
27 Locusts don’t have a king,
but they march together in ranks.
28 You can catch lizards in your hand,
but they are in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things that are excellent in their stride,
four that are excellent as they walk:
30 a lion, a warrior among beasts,
which doesn’t back down at anything;
31 the strut of a rooster or a male goat;
and a king with his army.
32 If you’ve been foolish and arrogant,
if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand to your mouth,
33 because churning milk makes curds,
squeezing the nose brings blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:16 Heb Sheol
Proverbs 30
English Standard Version
The Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too (A)stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of (B)the Holy One.
4 Who has (C)ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has (D)gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has (E)wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all (F)the ends of the earth?
(G)What is his name, and what is his son's name?
Surely you know!
5 (H)Every word of God proves true;
he is (I)a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 (J)Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
7 Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me (K)before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is (L)needful for me,
9 lest I be (M)full and (N)deny you
and say, (O)“Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
(P)and profane the name of my God.
11 There are those[c] who (S)curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are (T)clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
13 There are those—how (U)lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
14 There are those whose teeth are (V)swords,
whose (W)fangs are knives,
to (X)devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give.[d]
(Y)Three things are never satisfied;
(Z)four never say, “Enough”:
16 (AA)Sheol, (AB)the barren womb,
the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (AC)mocks a father
and (AD)scorns to obey a mother
will (AE)be picked out by (AF)the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
18 (AG)Three things are (AH)too wonderful for me;
(AI)four I do not understand:
19 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.
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under (AJ)three things (AK)the earth trembles;
under (AL)four it cannot bear up:
22 (AM)a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is (AN)filled with food;
23 (AO)an unloved woman when she (AP)gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
24 (AQ)Four things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 (AR)the ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 (AS)the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 the locusts have no (AT)king,
yet all of them march in (AU)rank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings' palaces.
29 (AV)Three things are stately in their tread;
(AW)four are stately in their stride:
30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and (AX)does not turn back before any;
31 the (AY)strutting rooster,[e] the he-goat,
and a king whose army is with him.[f]
32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
(AZ)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For pressing milk produces curds,
pressing the nose produces blood,
and pressing anger produces strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or Jakeh, the man of Massa
- Proverbs 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal
- Proverbs 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14
- Proverbs 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry
- Proverbs 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins
- Proverbs 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up
Ordspråksboken 30
Swedish New Living Bible (Nya Levande Bibeln)
Den vise Agurs ordspråk
30 Här följer Agurs, Jakes sons, budskap till Itiel och Ukal:
2 Jag är trött, Gud, och färdig att dö. Jag är till och med för dum för att kunna kallas människa, och jag saknar förstånd!
3 Jag har inte fått lära mig vishet, och jag vet knappast något om Gud.
4 Säg mig: Vem mer än Gud kan vara både i himlen och på jorden? Vem mer håller vinden i sina händer och tämjer vattenmassorna i haven? Vem mer har fastställt jordens gränser? Om det finns någon annan, vad heter han då? Eller vad heter hans son, vet du det?
5 Varje Guds ord visar sig vara sant, och han beskyddar alla som flyr till honom.
6 Lägg ingenting till hans ord, för då måste han tillrättavisa dig för att du är en lögnare.
7 Gud, jag ber om två saker från dig innan jag dör:
8 Hjälp mig för det första att aldrig ljuga. Ge mig för det andra varken fattigdom eller rikedom! Ge mig bara vad jag behöver!
9 Om jag blir rik kan jag ju tro att jag klarar mig utan Herren. Och om jag är alltför fattig kanske jag börjar stjäla och på så sätt vanärar Guds heliga namn.
10 Förtala aldrig en person inför hans arbetsgivare, för då vilar en förbannelse över dig.
11-12 Det finns sådana som förbannar sina föräldrar och som tycker att de själva är felfria, trots sina många synder.
13-14 Det finns sådana som är stolta och högmodiga utan like. De gnager på de fattiga med tänder lika skarpa som knivar!
15-16 Det finns två ting som aldrig får nog, likt en blodigel som alltid vill ha mer, nej, tre ting! Nej, fyra: Dödsriket.En barnlös hustru, som längtar efter barn.Den torra marken som törstar efter regn.Elden som kommit lös.
17 Den som hånar sin far och föraktar sin mor ska få ögonen uthackade av korpar och sin kropp uppäten av gamarna.
18-19 Det finns tre saker som är för underbara för att jag ska förstå dem, nej, fyra!Hur en örn kan glida fram genom luften.Hur en orm kan ringla sig fram på klipphällen.Hur ett fartyg hittar vägen över de gungande haven.Den växande kärleken mellan en man och en kvinna.
20 Så här beter sig en otrogen hustru: Hon ligger med en annan man och stiger sedan upp och säger: Vad är det för fel med det?
21-23 Det finns tre saker som skakar ett land, nej, det finns fyra saker som det inte kan stå ut med:En slav som blir kung.En dåre som blir rik.En föraktad kvinna som så småningom blir gift.En tjänsteflicka som tar fruns plats.
24-28 Det finns fyra djur som är små, men ovanligt kloka:Myrorna - de är inte starka, men de samlar mat för vintern.Klippgrävlingarna - de är bräckliga, små djur som lever bland klipporna.Gräshopporna - fastän de inte har någon ledare, håller de ihop i svärmar.Ödlorna - de är lätta att fånga, men ändå hittar man dem i de kungliga palatsen!
29-31 Det finns tre på jorden som gör intryck när de skrider fram, nej, fyra:Lejonet, djurens kung. Det går inte åt sidan för någon.En kringspatserande tupp.En getabock.En kung som leder sin armé.
32 Om du burit dig dumt åt genom att planera något ont eller varit stolt, så skryt inte om det. Håll i stället handen för munnen och skäms.
33 På samma sätt som man kärnar smör av grädde och ett slag på näsan orsakar näsblod, så orsakar vrede gräl.
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