Proverbs 29-30

The Voice

29 The one who remains defiant after repeated reprimands
    will suddenly be shattered, and there will be no remedy for him.
² When just leaders are in power, the citizens celebrate;
    but when evil people gain control, their joys become moans.

³ An adult who loves wisdom and follows its ways gives his parents joy,
    but one who hangs out with women of the street will lose everything.

⁴ A king brings stability to a land with his justice,
    but one who makes unjust demands brings it to ruin.
⁵ The one who flatters his friend
    is laying a trap that will catch his friend’s feet.
⁶ An evil person is sure to be trapped by his sin,
    but a man who lives right is free to sing and be glad.
⁷ The just get involved with the poor and know their issues,
    but the wicked cannot comprehend such concerns.
⁸ Mockers stir up a city and inflame passions,
    but the wise know how to put out the fire and ease tensions.

⁹ When the wise go to court against a fool,
    there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.

¹⁰ Bloodthirsty men despise those who are honest,
    but the just find a way to help them.

¹¹ A fool does not think before he unleashes his temper,
    but a wise man holds back and remains quiet.

¹² When it is known that a ruler listens to the words of liars,
    soon he will have only scoundrels for advisors.
¹³ A poor man and his oppressor have this in common:
    the Eternal created them and provides both with light and life.
¹⁴ The king who is fair in his treatment of the poor
    will see his dynasty continue forever.

¹⁵ Corporal punishment and correction produce wisdom,
    but a child left to follow his own willful way shames his mother.
¹⁶ When evil people are free to flourish, sin is on the rise,
    but the just will surely see their destruction.
¹⁷ If you discipline your children, they will make your life easier
    and refresh your soul.

¹⁸ Where there is no vision from God, the people run wild,
    but those who adhere to God’s instruction know genuine happiness.
¹⁹ Words are not enough to correct a servant;
    even if he understands, he will not respond.
²⁰ Have you ever met someone who is overly eager to talk?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him.
²¹ If you indulge your servant from early in life,
    in the end it won’t go well for either of you.

²² A hot-head provokes quarrels,
    and one mastered by anger commits all kinds of sins.
²³ A person’s pride brings him down,
    but one of humble spirit has a firm hold on honor and respect.
²⁴ Anyone who teams up with a thief must despise his own life,
    for he is bound by an oath to tell the truth and yet refuses.^[a]
25 If you fear other people, you are walking into a dangerous trap;
    but if you trust in the Eternal, you will be safe.
²⁶ Many people vie for special treatment from a ruler,
    yet genuine justice proceeds from the Eternal.
²⁷ The right-living are disgusted by the actions of the unjust;
    likewise, the wicked are disgusted by the ways of the righteous.

He says, “I am weary, God.
    I am weary and spent, O God.”^[b]
2 Certainly I am a stupid man, as dumb as an ox.
    I don’t understand the way that most people do.
³ I have never learned wisdom,
    and I have no knowledge at all of the Holy One.
⁴ Who has ascended into the heavens and then come back down?
    Who has collected the winds in the palm of His hand?
Who has wrapped up the vast oceans in His coat?
    Who has plotted the ends of the earth and then fashioned them?
What is His name?
    What is His son’s name?
    Do you know? Indeed, you do.

⁵ Every word of God will be put to the test and proven true;
    He is a defense for those who trust in Him.
⁶ Take care. Add nothing to what He has said;
    for if you do, He will correct you and expose you as a liar.

⁷ Two things I ask, O God.
    Sometime before I die, grant these humble requests:
⁸ Eliminate any hint of worthless and deceitful words from my lips.
    Do not make me poor or rich,
    but give me each day what I need;
⁹ For if I have too much, I might forget You are the One who provides,
    saying, “Who is the Eternal One?”
Or if I do not have enough, I might become hungry and turn to stealing
    and thus dishonor the good name of my God.

¹⁰ Never run down a servant to his master
    because the slave might curse you and you would suffer as a result.

¹¹ There is a kind of person who curses his father
    and pronounces no blessing upon his mother;
¹² A kind of person who is without fault in his own estimation
    but has not been scrubbed clean of his own sordidness;
¹³ A kind whose look is too haughty,
    whose eyebrows arch as he looks down on others;
¹⁴ A kind whose very teeth cut like swords
    and whose jaws sever like knives,
All the better to consume the poor of the earth
    and the oppressed among men.

¹⁵ The leech has twin suckers;
    “More blood! More blood,” they demand.
Three other things are just as insatiable,
    no, make it four that never say, “Enough”:
¹⁶ The grave, the childless woman who cannot bear,
    the parched earth that cries for rain,
    and the fire, which never says, “Enough!”

¹⁷ One who derides his father
    and fails to honor his mother in old age
Will die in contempt: his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
    and eaten by the young vultures when his unburied body lies on the trash heap.

¹⁸ There are three mysteries I find absolutely amazing,
    no, make it four I cannot comprehend:
¹⁹ The way an eagle flies through the sky,
    the way a snake moves over a rock,
The way a boat glides through the middle of the sea,
    and the way a man becomes one with his virgin wife.

²⁰ An adulterous woman is so cavalier by nature.
    When she’s done, it is as if she washed after eating
    and then says, “I have done nothing wrong.”

²¹ Three situations disturb the earth,
    no, make it four that it cannot endure:
²² When a slave is elevated to king,
    when a fool is full of fine food,
²³ When a hated woman finally marries,
    and when a serving girl takes possession of her mistress’s wealth.

²⁴ There are four creatures on earth that are small,
    but they are very wise and we can learn from them:
²⁵ While ants are hardly a strong species,
    they work constantly to store up food during the summer;
²⁶ While badgers are animals without many defenses,
    they are wise enough to make their homes in the rocky cliffs;
²⁷ While locusts live without a ruler,
    they all know how to move in formation;
²⁸ While a lizard is easy enough to catch in your hand,
    it is shrewd enough to enter the palaces of kings.

²⁹ There are three creatures with majesty in their stride,
    no, make it four that move with grace:
³⁰ The lion, which is the strongest of the animals,
    does not back down from any other creature;
³¹ The strutting rooster, the male goat,
    and a king as he goes out with his army.^[c]

³² If you have been foolish enough to insinuate yourself in some high position
    or if you have concocted some sort of evil plan,
    clamp your hand tightly over your mouth;
³³ For pressing down milk makes butter,
    pressing your nose makes it bleed,
    and pressing anger makes trouble.