Proverbs 30

The Words of Agur

1 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The pronouncement.  * 30:1 Or son of Jakeh from Massa; Pr 31:1,* 30:1 Nm 24:3; Pr 31:1; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zch 9:1; Mal 1:1

The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:  * 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.

2 I am more stupid than any other person,  * 30:2 Lit I am more stupid than a man

and I lack a human’s ability to understand.  * 30:2 1Kg 3:7

3 I have not gained wisdom,

and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.  * 30:3 Pr 9:10

4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down?  * 30:4 Jn 3:13; Eph 4:9–10

Who has gathered the wind in his hands?

Who has bound up the waters in a cloak?  * 30:4 Jb 26:8; 38:9

Who has established all the ends of the earth?  * 30:4 Jb 38:4–5; Ps 93:1; 119:90; Is 45:18

What is his name,

and what is the name of his son —

if you know?  * 30:4 Mt 11:27; Rv 19:12–13

5 Every word of God is pure;  * 30:5 Lit refined,* 30:5 Ps 12:6; 18:30

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.  * 30:5 Ps 3:3

6 Don’t add to his words,  * 30:6 Dt 4:2; 12:32; Rv 22:18

or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.  * 30:6 Dt 18:22

7 Two things I ask of you;

don’t deny them to me before I die:

8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor wealth;

feed me with the food I need.  * 30:8 Jb 23:12; Mt 6:11; Php 4:11–12

9 Otherwise, I might have too much  * 30:9 Dt 6:10–12; 8:11–14

and deny you,  * 30:9 Jos 24:27; Jb 31:28 saying, "Who is the  Lord? "  * 30:9 Ex 5:2

or I might have nothing and steal,  * 30:9 Ex 20:5; Eph 4:28

profaning  * 30:9 Lit grabbing the name of my God.  * 30:9 Lv 19:11–12

10 Don’t slander a servant to his master

or he will curse you,  * 30:10 Ec 7:21 and you will become guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its father

and does not bless its mother.  * 30:11 Ex 21:17; Pr 20:20

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,  * 30:12 Pr 16:2; Lk 18:11

yet is not washed from its filth.

13 There is a generation — how haughty its eyes

and pretentious its looks.  * 30:13 Lit and its eyelids lifted up

14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords,  * 30:14 Ps 57:4

whose fangs are knives,  * 30:14 Jb 29:17

devouring the oppressed from the land  * 30:14 Ps 14:4

and the needy from among mankind.

15 The leech has two daughters: "Give, Give! "

Three things  * 30:15 Pr 6:16; 30:18,21,29 are never satisfied;

four never say, "Enough! ":

16 Sheol;  * 30:16 Pr 27:20; Hab 2:5 a childless womb;  * 30:16 Gn 30:1

earth, which is never satisfied with water;

and fire, which never says, "Enough! "

17 As for the eye that ridicules a father  * 30:17 Gn 9:22

and despises obedience to a mother,

may ravens of the valley pluck it out

and young vultures eat it.  * 30:17 Dt 28:26

18 Three things are too wondrous for me;  * 30:18 Jb 42:3; Ps 131; 139:6

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."  * 30:20 Pr 28:24; 1Jn 1:8

21 The earth trembles under three things;

it cannot bear up under four:

22 a servant when he becomes king,  * 30:22 Pr 19:10; Ec 10:7

a fool when he is stuffed with food,

23 an unloved woman when she marries,  * 30:23 Gn 29:30–31; Dt 21:15

and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.

24 Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

25 ants are not a strong people,

yet they store up their food in the summer;  * 30:25 Pr 6:6–8

26 hyraxes are not a mighty people,

yet they make their homes in the cliffs;  * 30:26 Lv 11:5; Ps 104:18

27 locusts have no king,

yet all of them march in ranks;  * 30:27 Jl 2:7–8

28 a lizard  * 30:28 Or spider can be caught in your hands,

yet it lives in kings’ palaces.

29 Three things are stately in their stride;

four are stately in their walk:

30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts

and doesn’t retreat before anything;

31 a strutting rooster;  * 30:31 Or a greyhound a goat;

and a king at the head of his army.  * 30:31 LXX reads king addressing his people

32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself

or if you’ve been scheming,

put your hand over your mouth.  * 30:32 Jb 21:5; Mc 7:16

33 For the churning of milk produces butter,

and twisting a nose draws blood,

and stirring up anger produces strife.  * 30:33 Pr 10:12; 29:22