Proverbs 30
Revised Standard Version
Sayings of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa.[a]
The man says to Ith′i-el,
to Ith′i-el and Ucal:[b]
2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up 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?
Surely you know!
5 Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take 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 of thee;
deny them not to me before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full, and deny thee,
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are pure in their own eyes
but are not cleansed of their filth.
13 There are those—how lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
14 There are those whose teeth are swords,
whose teeth are knives,
to devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among men.
15 The leech[c] has two daughters;
“Give, give,” they cry.
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough”:
16 Sheol, the barren womb,
the earth ever thirsty for water,
and the fire which never says, “Enough.”[d]
17 The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
18 Three things are too wonderful for me;
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 maiden.
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats, and wipes her mouth,
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
22 a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is filled with food;
23 an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.
24 Four things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 the ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 the badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
27 the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 Three things are stately in their tread;
four are stately in their stride:
30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and does not turn back before any;
31 the strutting cock,[e] the he-goat,
and a king striding before[f] his people.
32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
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 the oracle
- Proverbs 30:1 The Hebrew of this verse is obscure
- Proverbs 30:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Proverbs 30:16 Heb obscure
- Proverbs 30:31 Gk Syr Tg Compare Vg: Heb obscure
- Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Proverbs 30
Jubilee Bible 2000
30 ¶ The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spoke unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2 Surely I am more carnal than any man and have not the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4 Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? 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 thou canst tell?
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto those that put their trust in him.
6 Do not add unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 ¶ Two things have I required of thee; do not deny me them before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread of my judgment:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and blaspheme the name of my God.
10 ¶ Do not accuse a slave in the presence of his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
11 There is a generation that curses their father, and does 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 molars as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the destitute from among men.
15 ¶ The horseleach has two daughters, which are called, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16 Sheol; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that never says, It is enough.
17 The eye that mocks at his father, and despises the teaching of his mother, the ravens shall pluck it out of the river, and the young eagles shall eat it.
18 ¶ There are three things which are hidden from me, yea, four which I know not:
19 The track of the eagle in the air; the track of the serpent upon the rock; the track of the ship in the midst of the sea; and the track of the man in the maid.
20 Such is the track of an adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, I have done no wickedness.
21 For three things the earth is disquieted, and the fourth it cannot bear:
22 For a slave when he reigns; and a fool when he is filled with bread;
23 for a rejected 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 wiser than the wise men:
25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 the conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 the locusts have no king, yet all of them go forth by bands;
28 the spider takes hold with her hands and is in kings’ palaces.
29 ¶ There are three things which have a magnificent walk; yea, the fourth is stately in going:
30 The lion which is strongest among beasts and does not turn away for any;
31 the greyhound who is girded up of loins; a he goat also, and the king, against whom no one rises up.
32 If thou hast fallen, it is because thou hast lifted thyself up; and if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
33 Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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