29 屡教不改、顽固不化者,
    必突然灭亡,无可挽救。
义人增多,万众欢腾;
    恶人得势,万民叹息。
爱慕智慧的使父亲欢欣,
    结交妓女的必耗尽钱财。
君王秉公行义,国家安定;
    他若收受贿赂,国必倾倒。
奉承邻舍,等于设网罗绊他。
恶人被自己的罪缠住,
    义人却常常欢喜歌唱。
义人关心穷人的冤屈,
    恶人对此漠不关心。
狂徒煽动全城,
    智者平息众怒。
智者跟愚人对簿公堂,
    愚人会怒骂嬉笑不止。
10 嗜杀之徒憎恶纯全无过的人,
    但正直的人保护他们[a]
11 愚人尽发其怒,
    智者忍气含怒。
12 君王若听谗言,
    臣仆必成奸徒。
13 贫穷人和欺压者有共同点:
    他们的眼睛都是耶和华所赐。
14 君王若秉公审判穷人,
    他的王位必永远坚立。
15 管教之杖使孩子得智慧,
    放纵的子女让母亲蒙羞。
16 恶人当道,罪恶泛滥;
    义人必得见他们败亡。
17 好好管教儿子,
    他会带给你平安和喜乐。
18 百姓无神谕便任意妄为,
    但遵守律法的人必蒙福。
19 管教仆人不能单靠言语,
    因为他虽明白却不服从。
20 言语急躁的人,
    还不如愚人有希望。
21 主人若从小就娇惯仆人,
    他终必成为主人的麻烦。
22 愤怒的人挑起纷争,
    暴躁的人多有过犯。
23 骄傲的人必遭贬抑,
    谦卑的人必得尊荣。
24 与盗贼为伍是憎恶自己,
    他即使发誓也不敢作证。
25 惧怕人的必自陷网罗,
    信靠耶和华的必安稳。
26 许多人讨君王的欢心,
    但正义伸张靠耶和华。
27 为非作歹,义人厌恶;
    行为正直,恶人憎恨。

亚古珥的箴言

30 以下是雅基的儿子亚古珥的箴言。

    这人说:上帝啊,我很疲倦;
    上帝啊,我很疲倦,精疲力尽。[b]
我比众人都愚蠢,
    不具备人的悟性。
我从未学到智慧,
    也不认识至圣者。
谁升上高天又降下来?
    谁将风聚在掌中?
    谁将众水裹在衣服里?
    谁定了地的边界?
    祂叫什么名字?
    祂儿子叫什么名字?
    你知道吗?

上帝的话句句千真万确,
    祂作投靠祂之人的盾牌。
你不可对祂的话有所添加,
    免得祂责备你,
    揭穿你的虚谎。

上帝啊,我向你求两件事,
    求你在我未死以前赐给我。
求你使虚伪和谎言远离我,
    求你让我不贫穷也不富足,
    赐给我需用的饮食,
免得我因为饱足就不认你,
    说:“耶和华是谁呢?”
    又恐怕我因穷困而偷窃,
    以致辱没我上帝的名。

10 别向主人毁谤他的仆人,
    免得你受咒诅、担当罪责。

11 有一种[c]人咒诅父亲,
    不为母亲祝福。
12 有一种人自以为纯洁,
    却没有洗掉自己的污秽。
13 有一种人趾高气扬,
    目空一切。
14 有一种人牙如剑,
    齿如刀,
    要吞吃世间的困苦人和贫穷人。

15 水蛭有两个女儿,
    她们不停地叫:“给我!给我!”
三样东西从不知足,
永不言“够”的共有四样:
16 阴间、不孕的妇人、
    干旱的土地和火焰。
17 嘲笑父亲、藐视母亲教诲的,
    眼睛必被谷中的乌鸦啄出,
    被秃鹰吃掉。

18 我测不透的妙事有三样,
我不明白的事共有四样:
19 鹰在空中飞翔之道,
    蛇在石上爬行之道,
    船在海中航行之道,
    男女相爱之道。

20 淫妇的道是这样:
    她吃完就擦擦嘴,
    说,“我没有做坏事。”

21 使大地震动的事有三样,
大地无法承受的事共有四样:
22 奴仆做王,
    愚人吃饱,
23 丑恶女子出嫁,
    婢女取代主母。

24 地上有四种动物,
    身体虽小却极其聪明:
25 蚂蚁力量虽小,
    却在夏天储备粮食;
26 石獾虽不强壮,
    却在岩石中筑巢穴;
27 蝗虫虽无君王,
    却整齐地列队前进;
28 壁虎虽易捕捉,
    却居住在王宫大内。

29 步履威武的有三样,
走路雄壮的共有四样:
30 威震百兽、从不畏缩的狮子,
31 昂首阔步的雄鸡,
    公山羊和率领军队的君王。
32 你若行事愚昧、
    妄自尊大或图谋不轨,
    就当用手掩口。
33 激起愤怒会引起争端,
    正如搅牛奶会搅出奶油,
    拧鼻子会拧出血。

Footnotes

  1. 29:10 但正直的人保护他们”或译“索取正直人的性命”。
  2. 30:1 希伯来文或译“这人对以铁说,对以铁和乌甲说:”
  3. 30:11 ”希伯来文是“世代”,11-14节也相同。

29 Whoever remains stiff-necked(A) after many rebukes
    will suddenly be destroyed(B)—without remedy.(C)

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;(D)
    when the wicked rule,(E) the people groan.(F)

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,(G)
    but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.(H)

By justice a king gives a country stability,(I)
    but those who are greedy for[a] bribes tear it down.

Those who flatter their neighbors
    are spreading nets for their feet.(J)

Evildoers are snared by their own sin,(K)
    but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.

The righteous care about justice for the poor,(L)
    but the wicked have no such concern.

Mockers stir up a city,
    but the wise turn away anger.(M)

If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
    the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

10 The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
    and seek to kill the upright.(N)

11 Fools give full vent to their rage,(O)
    but the wise bring calm in the end.(P)

12 If a ruler(Q) listens to lies,
    all his officials become wicked.(R)

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
    The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.(S)

14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
    his throne will be established forever.(T)

15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
    but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.(U)

16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
    but the righteous will see their downfall.(V)

17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
    they will bring you the delights you desire.(W)

18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
    but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.(X)

19 Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
    though they understand, they will not respond.

20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.(Y)

21 A servant pampered from youth
    will turn out to be insolent.

22 An angry person stirs up conflict,
    and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.(Z)

23 Pride brings a person low,(AA)
    but the lowly in spirit gain honor.(AB)

24 The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
    they are put under oath and dare not testify.(AC)

25 Fear(AD) of man will prove to be a snare,
    but whoever trusts in the Lord(AE) is kept safe.(AF)

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,(AG)
    but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.(AH)

27 The righteous detest the dishonest;
    the wicked detest the upright.(AI)

Sayings of Agur

30 The sayings(AJ) of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,
    but I can prevail.[b]
Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
    I do not have human understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.(AK)
Who has gone up(AL) to heaven and come down?
    Whose hands(AM) have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters(AN) in a cloak?(AO)
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name,(AP) and what is the name of his son?
    Surely you know!

“Every word of God is flawless;(AQ)
    he is a shield(AR) to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add(AS) to his words,
    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.(AT)
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown(AU) you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’(AV)
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.(AW)

10 “Do not slander a servant to their master,
    or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

11 “There are those who curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers;(AX)
12 those who are pure in their own eyes(AY)
    and yet are not cleansed of their filth;(AZ)
13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty,(BA)
    whose glances are so disdainful;
14 those whose teeth(BB) are swords
    and whose jaws are set with knives(BC)
to devour(BD) the poor(BE) from the earth
    and the needy from among mankind.(BF)

15 “The leech has two daughters.
    ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

“There are three things that are never satisfied,(BG)
    four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16 the grave,(BH) the barren womb,
    land, which is never satisfied with water,
    and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

17 “The eye that mocks(BI) a father,
    that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
    will be eaten by the vultures.(BJ)

18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me,
    four that I do not understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
    the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
    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 says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’(BK)

21 “Under three things the earth trembles,
    under four it cannot bear up:
22 a servant who becomes king,(BL)
    a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23 a contemptible woman who gets married,
    and a servant who displaces her mistress.

24 “Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;(BM)
26 hyraxes(BN) are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts(BO) have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
30 a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.[c]

32 “If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
    or if you plan evil,
    clap your hand over your mouth!(BP)
33 For as churning cream produces butter,
    and as twisting the nose produces blood,
    so stirring up anger produces strife.”

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:4 Or who give
  2. Proverbs 30:1 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:
  3. Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.