The Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]
The man declares, I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too (A)stupid to be a man.
I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of (B)the Holy One.
4 Who has (C)ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has (D)gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has (E)wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all (F)the ends of the earth?
(G)What is his name, and what is his son's name?
Surely you know!
5 (H)Every word of God proves true;
he is (I)a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 (J)Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
7 Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me (K)before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is (L)needful for me,
9 lest I be (M)full and (N)deny you
and say, (O)“Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
(P)and profane the name of my God.
10 (Q)Do not slander a servant to his master,
(R)lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.
11 There are those[c] who (S)curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are (T)clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.
13 There are those—how (U)lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift!
14 There are those whose teeth are (V)swords,
whose (W)fangs are knives,
to (X)devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters:
Give and Give.[d]
(Y)Three things are never satisfied;
(Z)four never say, “Enough”:
16 (AA)Sheol, (AB)the barren womb,
the land never satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (AC)mocks a father
and (AD)scorns to obey a mother
will (AE)be picked out by (AF)the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
18 (AG)Three things are (AH)too wonderful for me;
(AI)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 virgin.
20 This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under (AJ)three things (AK)the earth trembles;
under (AL)four it cannot bear up:
22 (AM)a slave when he becomes king,
and a fool when he is (AN)filled with food;
23 (AO)an unloved woman when she (AP)gets a husband,
and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.
24 (AQ)Four things on earth are small,
but they are exceedingly wise:
25 (AR)the ants are a people not strong,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 (AS)the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 the locusts have no (AT)king,
yet all of them march in (AU)rank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
yet it is in kings' palaces.
29 (AV)Three things are stately in their tread;
(AW)four are stately in their stride:
30 the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
and (AX)does not turn back before any;
31 the (AY)strutting rooster,[e] the he-goat,
and a king whose army is with him.[f]
32 If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
(AZ)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 Jakeh, the man of Massa
- Proverbs 30:1 Revocalization; Hebrew The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal
- Proverbs 30:11 Hebrew There is a generation; also verses 12, 13, 14
- Proverbs 30:15 Or “Give, give,” they cry
- Proverbs 30:31 Or the magpie, or the greyhound; Hebrew girt-of-loins
- Proverbs 30:31 Or against whom there is no rising up
Cross references
- Proverbs 30:2 : See Ps. 49:10
- Proverbs 30:3 : ch. 9:10
- Proverbs 30:4 : John 3:13
- Proverbs 30:4 : [Isa. 40:12]; See Job 38:4-11; Ps. 104:3-6
- Proverbs 30:4 : Job 26:8
- Proverbs 30:4 : Ps. 22:27
- Proverbs 30:4 : [Rev. 19:12]
- Proverbs 30:5 : Ps. 12:6; 18:30
- Proverbs 30:5 : See Ps. 3:3
- Proverbs 30:6 : Deut. 4:2; 12:32; [Rev. 22:18]
- Proverbs 30:7 : Gen. 45:28
- Proverbs 30:8 : Job 23:12; Matt. 6:11; Luke 11:3
- Proverbs 30:9 : Deut. 8:12; 31:20; 32:15; Neh. 9:25; [ver. 22]
- Proverbs 30:9 : Josh. 24:27
- Proverbs 30:9 : Ex. 5:2
- Proverbs 30:9 : [Job 21:14, 15]; See Ex. 20:7
- Proverbs 30:10 : [Ps. 15:3; 101:5]
- Proverbs 30:10 : Eccles. 7:21
- Proverbs 30:11 : ch. 20:20; [ver. 17]; See Ex. 21:17
- Proverbs 30:12 : ch. 16:2; [Luke 18:11; Rev. 3:17]
- Proverbs 30:13 : See Ps. 101:5
- Proverbs 30:14 : See Ps. 57:4
- Proverbs 30:14 : Job 29:17
- Proverbs 30:14 : See Ps. 14:4
- Proverbs 30:15 : ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:15 : ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:16 : See ch. 27:20
- Proverbs 30:16 : [Gen. 30:1]
- Proverbs 30:17 : [ver. 11; Gen. 9:22]
- Proverbs 30:17 : [ch. 23:22]
- Proverbs 30:17 : [Num. 16:14]
- Proverbs 30:17 : [Jer. 16:4]
- Proverbs 30:18 : [See ver. 15 above]; ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:18 : See Job 42:3
- Proverbs 30:18 : [See ver. 15 above]; ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:21 : [See ver. 15 above]; ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:21 : Joel 2:10; Amos 8:8
- Proverbs 30:21 : [See ver. 15 above]; ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:22 : ch. 19:10
- Proverbs 30:22 : [ver. 9]
- Proverbs 30:23 : Deut. 21:15
- Proverbs 30:23 : [Isa. 54:1; 62:4]
- Proverbs 30:24 : [See ver. 15 above]; ver. 18, 21, 29; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:25 : ch. 6:6-8
- Proverbs 30:26 : Lev. 11:5; Ps. 104:18
- Proverbs 30:27 : [ch. 6:7]
- Proverbs 30:27 : [Joel 2:7, 8, 25]
- Proverbs 30:29 : ver. 15, 18, 21; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:29 : ver. 15, 18, 21; [ch. 6:16]
- Proverbs 30:30 : [Job 39:22]
- Proverbs 30:31 : [Job 40:16]
- Proverbs 30:32 : Mic. 7:16; See Job 21:5