Proverbs 30

Modern

Literal

The Words of Agur

¹These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel:

“I am weary, O God,

and worn out.^a

¹The words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden. An utterance of the strong man to Ithiel; to Ithiel and Ucal.

²Surely I am the most ignorant of men,

and I lack the understanding of a man.

²“Surely I am more brutish than man, and the understanding of man is not unto me.

³I have not learned wisdom,

and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

³And I have not learned wisdom or known the knowledge of holy ones.

⁴Who has ascended to heaven and come down?

Who has gathered the wind in His hands?

Who has bound up the waters in His cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—

surely you know!

⁴Who has gone up to the heavens and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son? Surely you must know!

⁵Every word of God is flawless;

He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

⁵Every word of God is refined; He is a shield for those taking refuge in Him.

⁶Do not add to His words,

lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

⁶Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

⁷Two things I ask of You—

do not refuse me before I die:

⁷Two things I have asked of You—do not withhold them from me before I die:

⁸Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the bread that is my portion.

⁸Put vanity and the word of a lie far away from me; do not give poverty or wealth to me; provide me the bread of my portion,

⁹Otherwise, I may have too much

and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

profaning the name of my God.

⁹lest I become satisfied and I deny and say, ‘Who is YHWH?’ And lest I become dispossessed and steal, and I seize the name of my God.

¹⁰Do not slander a servant to his master,

or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.

¹⁰Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you and you be found guilty.

¹¹There is a generation of those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

¹¹A generation lightly esteems its father, and does not bless its mother.

¹²There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes

and yet unwashed of their filth.

¹²A generation is pure in its own eyes and yet has not been washed from its filth.

¹³There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes

and pretentious are their glances—

¹³A generation—how high its eyes, and its eyelids are lifted up!

¹⁴there is a generation whose teeth are swords

and whose jaws are knives,

devouring the oppressed from the earth

and the needy from among men.

¹⁴A generation—its teeth are swords and its fangs are knives, to devour the poor from the earth, and needy ones from mankind.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters:

Give and Give.

There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

¹⁵Unto the leech are two daughters—‘Give, and Give. Three things are never satisfied, four never say, ‘Enough!’:

¹⁶Sheol,

the barren womb,

land never satisfied with water,

and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

¹⁶Sheol, and the barren womb, earth not satisfied with water, and the fire never having said, ‘Enough!’

¹⁷As for the eye that mocks a father

and scorns obedience to a mother,

may the ravens of the valley pluck it out

and young vultures devour it.

¹⁷The eye that mocks at a father and despises obedience to a mother—the ravens of the valley will dig it out, and the young eagles will eat it.

¹⁸There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:

¹⁸Three things, they are wonderful for me, and four, I cannot know them:

¹⁹the 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 maiden.

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the heavens, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.

²⁰This is the way of an adulteress:

She eats and wipes her mouth

and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’

²⁰This is the way of a woman committing adultery: She eats and has wiped her mouth and has said, ‘I have not done wickedness.’

²¹Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

²¹For three things the earth has trembled, and for four it is not able to bear up:

²²a servant who becomes king,

a fool who is filled with food,

²²Under a servant when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food,

²³an unloved woman who marries,

and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.

²³under a hated woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she dispossesses her mistress.

²⁴Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:

²⁴Four things, they are small on the earth; they are wiser than wise:

²⁵The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

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

²⁶the rock badgers^a are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;

²⁶the rock badgers are a people not strong, and they set their home in the cliffs;

²⁷the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation;

²⁷a king is not unto the locust, and go they forth in formation, all of them;

²⁸and the lizard can be caught in one’s hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.

²⁸the lizard can be caught in one’s hands, and it is in the palaces of king.

²⁹There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:

²⁹Three things, they are are doing well of step, even four are doing well in the walk:

³⁰a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;

³⁰A lion, mighty among the beasts, and it does not turn back from the face of anything;

³¹a strutting rooster;

a he-goat;

and a king with his army around him.^a

³¹one girded of loins, or a he-goat, and a king with his army around him.

³²If you have foolishly exalted yourself

or if you have plotted evil,

put your hand over your mouth.

³²If you have been foolish in lifting up yourself, and if you have schemed—hand to mouth!

³³For as the churning of milk yields butter,

and the twisting of the nose draws blood,

so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

³³For as the churning of milk brings forth butter, and pressing of the nose brings forth blood, so the pressing of anger brings forth strife.”