Proverbs 30

1 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, and worn out.

2 Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.

3 I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who 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!

5 Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

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

7 Two things I ask of You—do not refuse me before I die:

8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

9 Otherwise, 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.

10 Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.

11 There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

12 There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.

13 There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—

14 there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men.

15 The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

16 Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

17 As 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.

18 There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot 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 maiden.

20 This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’

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

22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,

23 an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

31 a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.

32 If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.

33 For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

1 ¶ The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, [even] the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

2 Surely I [am] more brutish 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 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?

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

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

7 ¶ Two [things] have I required of thee; deny me [them] not before I die:

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

9 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.

1 These are the words of Agur the son of Jake, the doctrine and speech of the man Leithiel, Leithiel and Uchal.

2 for I am the most foolish, and common sense is not with me.

3 I have not learned wisdom, neither know I what is holy.

4 Who flieth up to heaven, and who flieth down? Who taketh hold of the wind in his hands? Who bindeth the waters in a garment? Who hath made all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Do you know?

5 all the words of God are purified and are a shield to those who trust in Him.

6 Do nothing to his words, lest he punish thee, and thou be found false.

7 Two things I ask of thee, which thou wilt not deny me before I die;

8 Let idolatry and falsehood be far from me: poverty and riches give me not: but let me take my humble portion of meat.

9 Or else, if I be too full, I will deny, saying, Who is the LORD? Or where I would be poor, I would steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

10 Betray not the servant against his lord: for he will curse thee, and thou shalt bear the iniquity.

11 it is a kind that curses its father and does not bless its mother;

12 a kind that thinks itself pure, and yet is not washed from its excrement;

13 a species that carries its eyes high and holds its eyelids up;

14 A kind having swords for teeth, which eateth with their molars, and devoureth the wretched of the land, and the poor of the people.

15 The hedgehog hath two daughters: bring hither, bring hither. Three things are not to be sated, and the fourth speaketh not: it is enough:

16 Hell, the mother of women shut up, the earth is not filled with water, and the fire saith not, It is enough.

17 An eye that mocketh the father, and despiseth to obey the mother, that must the ravens peck out by the brook, and the young eagles eat.

18 Three things are too strange for me, and the fourth I know not:

19 The way of the eagle in heaven, the way of the serpent upon a rock, the way of the ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man by a maid.

20 So is the way of the adulteress: she devoureth, and wipeeth her mouth, saying, I have done no evil.

21 A land is troubled by three things, and the fourth may not bear it:

22 A servant when he becomes king; a fool when he is too full;

23 A hostile woman when she is married, and a maid when she is heir to her wives.

24 four are small in the earth, and wiser than the wise:

25 The ants, a weak race, yet they create their food in summer;

26 rabbit, a weak nation, yet it lays its house in the rock;

27 locusts have no king, yet they move out with whole heaps;

28 The spider works with his hands and is in the kings' castles.

29 Three things have a fine course, and the fourth pray well:

30 The lion, mighty among the beasts, and turneth not back before any;

31 a wind of good loins; and a ram; and the king, against whom no man may lie down.

32 If thou hast been deceitful, or if thou hast gone up too high, or if thou hast done evil, put thy hand upon thy mouth.

33 If a man putteth milk, he maketh it butter; and he that bloweth the nose, he bringeth forth blood; and he that provoketh wrath, he bringeth forth strife.