Proverbs 30
New King James Version
The Wisdom of Agur
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 (A)Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom
Nor have (B)knowledge of the Holy One.
4 (C)Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
(D)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 Son’s name,
If you know?
5 (E)Every word of God is [a]pure;
(F)He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 (G)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—
(H)Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 (I)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 (J)father,
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation (K)that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh, how (L)lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are [b]lifted up.
14 (M)There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
(N)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 (O)The[c] grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”
17 (P)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 [d]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 (Q)For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23 A [e]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 (R)The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 (S)The [f]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 [g]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 [h]greyhound,
A male goat also,
And [i]a king whose troops are with him.
32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, (T)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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:5 tested, refined, found pure
- Proverbs 30:13 In arrogance
- Proverbs 30:16 Or Sheol
- Proverbs 30:19 Lit. heart
- Proverbs 30:23 Or hated
- Proverbs 30:26 rock hyraxes
- Proverbs 30:28 Or lizard
- Proverbs 30:31 Or perhaps strutting rooster, lit. girded of waist
- Proverbs 30:31 A Jewish tradition a king against whom there is no uprising
Proverbs 30
New American Standard Bible
The Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement.
The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 I am certainly more (A)stupid than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of a man;
3 Nor have I learned wisdom,
Nor do I have 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 [a]His garment?
Who has (F)established all the ends of the earth?
What is His (G)name or His [b]Son’s name?
Surely you know!
5 Every (H)word of God is [c]pure;
He is a (I)shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 (J)Do not add to His words
Or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.
7 Two things I have asked of You;
Do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and [d]lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the (K)food that is my portion,
9 So that I will not be (L)full and deny (M)You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And that I will not become (N)impoverished and steal,
And (O)profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a slave to his master,
Or he will (P)curse you and you will be found guilty.
11 There is a [e]kind of person who (Q)curses his father
And does not bless his mother.
12 There is a [f]kind who is (R)pure in his own eyes,
Yet is not washed from his filthiness.
13 There is a [g]kind—oh how (S)lofty are his eyes!
And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.
14 There is a [h]kind of person whose (T)teeth are like swords
And his (U)jaw teeth like knives,
To (V)devour the poor from the earth
And the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters:
“Give” and “Give.”
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, “Enough”:
16 [i](W)Sheol, the (X)infertile womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (Y)mocks a father
And [j](Z)scorns a mother,
The (AA)ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young (AB)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 the (AC)eagle in the sky,
The way of a snake on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a [k]virgin.
20 This is the way of an (AD)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 endure:
22 Under a (AE)slave when he becomes king,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a female servant when she dispossesses her mistress.
24 Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The (AF)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The (AG)rock hyraxes are not a mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (AH)ranks;
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 (AI)mighty among animals
And does not [l](AJ)retreat from anything,
31 The [m]strutting rooster or the male goat,
And a king when his army is with him.
32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have plotted evil, (AK)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For the [n]churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose produces blood;
So the [o]churning of (AL)anger produces strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:4 Lit the
- Proverbs 30:4 Or son’s
- Proverbs 30:5 Lit refined
- Proverbs 30:8 Lit words of falsehood
- Proverbs 30:11 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:12 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:13 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:14 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:16 I.e., The netherworld
- Proverbs 30:17 Lit despises to obey
- Proverbs 30:19 Lit young unmarried woman
- Proverbs 30:30 Lit turn back
- Proverbs 30:31 Lit girt in the loins
- Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
- Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
Proverbs 30
New Catholic Bible
The Sayings of Agur[a]
The sayings of Agur, son of Jakeh, from Massa:[b]
This is my statement: I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.
Like Job[c]
2 I count myself among the most stupid of men,
and I am bereft of human understanding.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor do I have any knowledge of the Most Holy One.
4 Who has ever gone up to heaven and come down again?
Who has cupped the wind in the hollow of his hands?
Who has wrapped the waters in the fold of his garment?
Who has established all the boundaries of the earth?
What is his name or the name of his son?
Do you know it?[d]
5 Every word of God has proved to be true;
he is a shield to those who trust in him.[e]
6 Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you and expose you as a fraud.
Like Solomon[f]
7 Two things[g] I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lying far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but simply provide me with the food that I need.
9 For if I have too much, I may deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And if I am destitute, I may begin to steal
and profane the name of my God.
People with Neither Faith Nor Law[h]
10 Do not slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you and you will be held guilty
11 There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.[i]
12 They regard themselves as pure
and yet have not been cleansed of their filth.
13 They have eyes that are haughty[j]
and glances that reveal their disdain.
14 They have teeth that are swords
and jaws that are knives.
They devour the poor of the earth
and the needy from among men.
VIII: Numerical Proverbs[k]
Insatiable Things[l]
15 The leech has two daughters,
each of whom demands, “Give! Give!”
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say “Enough!”:
16 The netherworld and the barren womb,
the earth that is thirsty for water,
and fire that never says “Enough!”
Woe to the Wicked Son
17 The eye that mocks a father
or shows scorn to an aged mother
will be plucked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.[m]
The Astounding Mystery of Generation
18 There are three things too wonderful for me to comprehend,
four that are beyond my understanding:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake over a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a maiden.[n]
“I Have Done Nothing Wrong”[o]
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats, then wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”
The Insolence of the Newly Successful
21 There are three things that cause the earth to tremble,
indeed four things that it cannot endure:
22 a slave crowned as a king,
a fool gorged with food,
23 a hateful woman when she snares a husband,
and a servant girl when she supplants her mistress.
The Resourceful Little Ones[p]
24 There are four creatures among the tiniest on the earth
who are nevertheless exceedingly wise:
25 the ants, a species without strength,
yet they gather their food in the summer;
26 the rock-badgers, a species without power,
yet they make their home in the rocks;
27 the locusts, a species without a king,
yet they all march forth in formation;
28 the lizards, a species you can catch in your hands,
yet they are found in the palaces of kings.
The King, Majestic among Other Animals[q]
29 There are three creatures that are stately in their stride,
four that are stately as they walk:
30 the lion, the mightiest of wild animals,
who retreats from nothing;
31 the strutting rooster, the he-goat,[r]
and a king at the head of his army.
Silence Is Golden, Especially in Time of Anger
32 If you have been foolish enough to exalt yourself[s]
or if you have devised evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
33 For as churning the milk produces curds
and twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 This is a short collection of the sayings of a foreigner, one of the “sons of the East” whose wisdom was greatly esteemed (1 Ki 5:10; Jer 49:7), men such as Lemuel (see Prov 31:1-9) or Job and his friends. Agur may be an imaginary personage, but bringing him on the scene is evidence that wisdom transcends the borders of the chosen people. Wisdom is universal and must welcome the truth wherever it is found. Agur is a simple man, amazed by the mystery of nature, who humbly prays for perseverance.
- Proverbs 30:1 The second part of this verse presents translation difficulties. Both the Vulgate and the Septuagint have different interpretations. Massa: an Ishmaelite tribe north of Arabia, in the eastern part of Palestine (see Gen 25:14).
- Proverbs 30:2 In this dialogue with God, the sage loses all his assurance; he is no longer the man who knows everything. The mystery of God is divined in creation, but who could attain such knowledge! Can human beings do anything else but respectfully embrace his word, i.e., the Law and the Prophets and perhaps the teachings of the sages?
- Proverbs 30:4 See the similar use of rhetorical questions to express God’s greatness in Job 38:4-11; Isa 40:12. Do you know it?: see Job 38:4.
- Proverbs 30:5 This verse is very close to Ps 18:31.
- Proverbs 30:7 In a humble prayer, human beings can ask for a good heart and, for the rest, their share of bread: what is necessary suffices (see Mt 6:11). Indeed, if wretchedness leads to the edge of revolt, wealth easily leads to contempt for God.
- Proverbs 30:7 Two things: these sayings are fond of using lists (see vv. 15, 18, 21, 24, 29). See note on Prov 6:16-19.
- Proverbs 30:10 After verse 10, there is a diatribe against falsehood and violence, i.e., the crime of those who wish to dominate by despising others.
- Proverbs 30:11 See note on Prov 20:20.
- Proverbs 30:13 Eyes that are haughty: see note on Prov 6:17.
- Proverbs 30:15 These are termed “numerical proverbs” because they use numbers: There are three things . . . four . . .; these figures stand for a quantity that cannot be exactly counted. They propose a truth in a witty way that constitutes their charm (see also note on Prov 6:16-19). Some proverbs of another kind (vv. 17-20, 32-33) have slipped in like intruders in this short collection.
- Proverbs 30:15 Here we see presented the leech, model of the parasite. Then the proverb evokes the power of a desire that is never fulfilled. The netherworld is the abyss of death that ceaselessly swallows up human generations.
- Proverbs 30:17 See verse 11 and note on Prov 20:20.
- Proverbs 30:19 The way of a man with a maiden: an obscure saying that may mean how a man is born of a young woman (see Ps 139:13-18), or how the affection that draws a man to a young woman is awakened in him.
- Proverbs 30:20 A reader who has misunderstood the poetry in the preceding verses has added this reflection, which is closer to his moralizing preoccupations: the adulteress is cunning enough to camouflage her offense.
- Proverbs 30:24 The labor of the ant has already been cited, e.g., in Prov 6:6-8. The rock-badger, a small mammiferous savage, shows how to find shelter even if one is not among the powerful. In evoking the lizard, one is undoubtedly thinking of the courtesan of modest state who comes to sneak into the palace where she does nothing but gild herself in the king’s sunshine.
- Proverbs 30:29 Here we have a bit of popular irony before a ceremonial parade. True majesty is something else.
- Proverbs 30:31 He-goat: goats were used to lead flocks of sheep (see Jer 50:8; Dan 8:5).
- Proverbs 30:32 Exalt yourself: see condemnation of pride in Prov 8:13; 11:2; 16:18. Devised evil: see Prov 6:14; 16:27. Put your hand over your mouth: i.e., cease your plotting (see Job 21:5; 40:4).
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”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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