Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Read full chapter

remove far from me vanity and lies:
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:

Read full chapter

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.(A)

Read full chapter

Remove far from me falsehood and lies;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with [a]the food that is needful for me:

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:8 Hebrew the bread of my portion.

Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,

Read full chapter

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

10 Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.

20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

22 For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

23 For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

29 There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:

30 A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

31 A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Surely I am more brutish than any man,
and have not the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?
who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
who hath bound the waters in a garment?
who hath established all the ends of the earth?
what is his name, and what is his son’s name,
if thou canst tell?

Every word of God is pure:
he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Add thou not unto his words,
lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Two things have I required of thee;
deny me them not before I die:
remove far from me vanity and lies:
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:
lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord?
or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

10 Accuse not a servant unto his master,
lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that curseth their father,
and doth not bless their mother.
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes,
and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes!
and their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords,
and their jaw teeth as knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
and the needy from among men.

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.
There are three things that are never satisfied,
yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16 the grave; and the barren womb;
the earth that is not filled with water;
and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17 The eye that mocketh at his father,
and despiseth to obey his mother,
the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
and the young eagles shall eat it.

18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me,
yea, four which I know not:
19 the way of an eagle in the air;
the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea;
and the way of a man with a maid.
20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman;
she eateth, and wipeth her mouth,
and saith, I have done no wickedness.

21 For three things the earth is disquieted,
and for four which it cannot bear:
22 for a servant when he reigneth;
and a fool when he is filled with meat;
23 for an odious woman when she is married;
and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24 There be four things which are little upon the earth,
but they are exceeding wise:
25 the ants are a people not strong,
yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
26 the conies are but a feeble folk,
yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27 the locusts have no king,
yet go they forth all of them by bands;
28 the spider taketh hold with her hands,
and is in kings’ palaces.

29 There be three things which go well,
yea, four are comely in going:
30 a lion which is strongest among beasts,
and turneth not away for any;
31 a greyhound; an he goat also;
and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,
or if thou hast thought evil,
lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,
and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood:
so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

The Words of Agur

30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a](A)

The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:[b]

I am more stupid than any other man,[c]
and I lack man’s ability to understand.(B)
I have not gained wisdom,
and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.(C)
Who has gone up to heaven and come down?(D)
Who has gathered the wind in His hands?
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?(E)
Who has established all the ends of the earth?(F)
What is His name,
and what is the name of His Son—
if you know?(G)
Every word of God is pure;[d](H)
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.(I)
Don’t add to His words,(J)
or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.(K)

Two things I ask of You;
don’t deny them to me before I die:
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.(L)
Otherwise, I might have too much(M)
and deny You,(N) saying, “Who is the Lord?”(O)
or I might have nothing and steal,(P)
profaning[e] the name of my God.(Q)

10 Don’t slander a servant to his master
or he will curse you,(R) and you will become guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its father
and does not bless its mother.(S)
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,(T)
yet is not washed from its filth.
13 There is a generation—how haughty its eyes
and pretentious its looks.[f]
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,(U)
whose fangs are knives,(V)
devouring the oppressed from the land(W)
and the needy from among mankind.

15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”
Three things(X) are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough!”:
16 Sheol;(Y) a childless womb;(Z)
earth, which is never satisfied with water;
and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

17 As for the eye that ridicules a father(AA)
and despises obedience to a mother,
may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it.(AB)

18 Three things are beyond me;
four I can’t understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman.

20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”(AC)

21 The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22 a servant when he becomes king,(AD)
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries,(AE)
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.

24 Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25 the ants are not a strong people,
yet they store up their food in the summer;(AF)
26 hyraxes are not a mighty people,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;(AG)
27 locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in ranks;(AH)
28 a lizard[g] can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.

29 Three things are stately in their stride,
even four are stately in their walk:
30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31 a strutting rooster,[h] a goat,
and a king at the head of his army.[i]

32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself
or if you’ve been scheming,
put your hand over your mouth.(AI)
33 For the churning of milk produces butter,
and twisting a nose draws blood,
and stirring up anger produces strife.(AJ)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:1 Or son of Jakeh from Massa; Pr 31:1
  2. Proverbs 30:1 Hb uncertain. Sometimes read with different word division as oration: I am weary, God, I am weary, God, and I am exhausted, or oration: I am not God, I am not God, that I should prevail. LXX reads My son, fear my words and when you have received them repent. The man says these things to the believers in God, and I pause.
  3. Proverbs 30:2 Lit I am more stupid than a man
  4. Proverbs 30:5 Lit refined
  5. Proverbs 30:9 Lit grabbing
  6. Proverbs 30:13 Lit and its eyelids lifted up
  7. Proverbs 30:28 Or spider
  8. Proverbs 30:31 Or a greyhound
  9. Proverbs 30:31 LXX reads king addressing his people

30 The words of Agur the son of [a]Jakeh; the [b]oracle.

The man saith [c]unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:
Surely I am more brutish than any man,
And have not the understanding of a man;
And I have not learned wisdom,
[d]Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.
Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended?
Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
Who hath bound the waters in his garment?
Who hath established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?

Every word of God is [e]tried:
He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.
Add thou not unto his words,
Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Two things have I asked of thee;
Deny me them not before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lies;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with [f]the food that is needful for me:
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah?
Or lest I be poor, and steal,
And [g]use profanely the name of my God.

10 Slander not a servant unto his master,
Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty.

11 There is a generation that curse their father,
And bless not their mother.
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes,
And yet are not washed from their filthiness.
13 There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

15 The [h]horseleach hath two daughters, [i]crying, Give, give.
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Yea, four that say not, Enough:
16 Sheol; and the barren womb;
The earth that is not satisfied with water;
And the fire that saith not, Enough.
17 The eye that mocketh at his father,
And despiseth to obey his mother,
The ravens of [j]the valley shall pick it out,
And the [k]young eagles shall eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yea, four which I know not:
19 The way of an eagle in the air;
The way of a serpent upon a rock;
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea;
And the way of a man with a maiden.
20 So is the way of an adulterous woman;
She eateth, and wipeth her mouth,
And saith, I have done no wickedness.

21 [l]For three things the earth doth tremble,
And for four, which it cannot bear:
22 For a servant when he is king;
And a fool when he is filled with food;
23 For an odious woman when she is married;
And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little upon the earth,
But they are exceeding wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 The conies are but a feeble folk,
Yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet go they forth all of them by bands;
28 The lizard [m]taketh hold with her hands,
Yet is she in kings’ palaces.

29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Yea, four which are stately in going:
30 The lion, which is mightiest among beasts,
And turneth not away for any;
31 The [n]greyhound; the he-goat also;
And the king [o]against whom there is no rising up.
32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,
Or if thou hast thought evil,
Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.
33 For the [p]churning of milk bringeth forth butter,
And the [q]wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;
So the [r]forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:1 Or, Jakeh, of Massa. See Gen. 25:14.
  2. Proverbs 30:1 Or, burden
  3. Proverbs 30:1 Or, as otherwise read, I have wearied myself, O God, I have wearied myself, O God, and am consumed: For I am etc.
  4. Proverbs 30:3 Or, That I should have the knowledge etc.
  5. Proverbs 30:5 Hebrew purified.
  6. Proverbs 30:8 Hebrew the bread of my portion.
  7. Proverbs 30:9 Hebrew handle the name.
  8. Proverbs 30:15 Or, vampire
  9. Proverbs 30:15 Or, called
  10. Proverbs 30:17 Or, the brook
  11. Proverbs 30:17 Or, vultures
  12. Proverbs 30:21 Hebrew Under.
  13. Proverbs 30:28 Or, thou canst seize with thy hands
  14. Proverbs 30:31 Or, war-horse Hebrew well girt (or, well knit) in the loins.
  15. Proverbs 30:31 Or, when his army is with him
  16. Proverbs 30:33 Hebrew pressing.
  17. Proverbs 30:33 Hebrew pressing.
  18. Proverbs 30:33 Hebrew pressing.

30 Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: -- I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed.

For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man.

Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know.

Who went up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou knowest!

Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him.

Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false.

Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die.

Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion,

Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, `Who [is] Jehovah?' And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God.

10 Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty.

11 A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless.

12 A generation -- pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed.

13 A generation -- how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up.

14 A generation -- swords [are] their teeth, And knives -- their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men.

15 To the leech [are] two daughters, `Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said `Sufficiency;'

16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth -- it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire -- it hath not said, `Sufficiency,'

17 An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles.

18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known:

19 The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth.

20 So -- the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, `I have not done iniquity.'

21 For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four -- it is not able to bear:

22 For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,

23 For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.

24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise:

25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food,

26 Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house,

27 A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out -- each one shouting,

28 A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king.

29 Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going:

30 An old lion -- mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any,

31 A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king -- no rising up with him.

32 If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil -- hand to mouth!

33 For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife!