Proverbs
30 The weighty message contained in the words of Aʹgur son of Jaʹkeh, which he spoke to Ithʹi·el, to Ithʹi·el and Uʹcal.
2 I am more ignorant than anyone else,+
And I lack the understanding a man should have.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
And I do not possess the knowledge of the Most Holy One.
4 Who has ascended to heaven and then descended?+
Who has gathered the wind in the palms of both hands?
Who has wrapped up the waters in his garment?+
Who has established* all the ends of the earth?+
What is his name and the name of his son—if you know?
5 Every saying of God is refined.+
He is a shield to those taking refuge in him.+
7 Two things I ask of you.
Do not withhold them from me before I die.
8 Remove untruth and lies far from me.+
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Just let me consume my portion of food,+
9 So that I do not become satisfied and deny you and say, “Who is Jehovah?”+
Nor let me become poor and steal and dishonor* the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a servant to his master,
Or he may curse you and you will be found guilty.+
11 There is a generation that curses its father
And does not bless its mother.+
13 There is a generation whose eyes are so haughty
And whose eyes look so arrogantly!+
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords
And whose jaws are slaughtering knives;
They devour the lowly ones of the earth
And the poor from among mankind.+
15 The leeches have two daughters that cry, “Give! Give!”
There are three things that do not get satisfied,
Four that never say, “Enough!”
16 —The Grave*+ and a barren womb,
A land that is deprived of water,
And fire that never says, “Enough!”
17 The eye that mocks a father and despises obedience to a mother+
—The ravens of the valley* will peck it out,
And the young eagles will eat it up.+
18 There are three things that are beyond my comprehension,*
And four that I do not understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the heavens,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the open sea,
And the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats, she wipes her mouth;
Then she says, “I have done nothing wrong.”+
21 There are three things that make the earth shudder
And four things it cannot endure:
22 When a slave rules as king,+
When a fool is glutted with food,
23 When a hated* woman is taken as a wife,
29 There are three things that have an impressive stride,
Four that are impressive as they move:
30 The lion, the mightiest among beasts,
Which does not retreat from anyone;+
31 The greyhound; the male goat;
And a king whose army is with him.
32 If you have foolishly exalted yourself+
Or if you have schemed to do so,
Put your hand over your mouth.+
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter
And the squeezing of the nose produces blood,
So the stirring up of anger produces quarrels.+