The Words of Agur
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the [a]oracle.
The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2 Surely I am more (A)stupid than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of a man.
3 Neither have I learned wisdom,
Nor do I have the (B)knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has (C)ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the (D)wind in His fists?
Who has (E)wrapped the waters in [b]His garment?
Who has (F)established all the ends of the earth?
What is His (G)name or His son’s name?
Surely you know!
5 Every (H)word of God is tested;
He is a (I)shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 (J)Do not add to His words
Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
7 Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and [c]lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the (K)food that is my portion,
9 That I not be (L)full and deny (M)You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be (N)in want and steal,
And (O)profane the name of my God.
10 Do not slander a slave to his master,
Or he will (P)curse you and you will be found guilty.
11 There is a [d]kind of man who (Q)curses his father
And does not bless his mother.
12 There is a [e]kind who is (R)pure in his own eyes,
Yet is not washed from his filthiness.
13 There is a [f]kind—oh how (S)lofty are his eyes!
And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.
14 There is a [g]kind of man whose (T)teeth are like swords
And his (U)jaw teeth like knives,
To (V)devour the afflicted from the earth
And the needy from among men.
15 The leech has two daughters,
“Give,” “Give.”
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, “Enough”:
16 [h](W)Sheol, and the (X)barren womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (Y)mocks a father
And [i](Z)scorns a mother,
The (AA)ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young (AB)eagles will eat it.
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an (AC)eagle in the sky,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a maid.
20 This is the way of an (AD)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot bear up:
22 Under a (AE)slave when he becomes king,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.
24 Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The (AF)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The [j](AG)shephanim are not mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (AH)ranks;
28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:
30 The lion which is (AI)mighty among beasts
And does not [k](AJ)retreat before any,
31 The [l]strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.
32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself
Or if you have plotted evil, (AK)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For the [m]churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose brings forth blood;
So the [n]churning of (AL)anger produces strife.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:1 Or burden
- Proverbs 30:4 Lit the
- Proverbs 30:8 Lit words of falsehood
- Proverbs 30:11 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:12 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:13 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:14 Or generation
- Proverbs 30:16 I.e. The nether world
- Proverbs 30:17 Lit despises to obey
- Proverbs 30:26 Small, shy, furry animals (Hyrax syriacus) found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and the region round the Dead Sea; KJV coney, orig NASB badgers
- Proverbs 30:30 Lit turn back
- Proverbs 30:31 Lit girt in the loins
- Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
- Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
Cross references
- Proverbs 30:2 : Ps 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1
- Proverbs 30:3 : Prov 9:10
- Proverbs 30:4 : Ps 68:18; John 3:13; Eph 4:8
- Proverbs 30:4 : Ex 15:10; Ps 135:7
- Proverbs 30:4 : Job 26:8; 38:8, 9
- Proverbs 30:4 : Ps 24:2; Is 45:18
- Proverbs 30:4 : Rev 19:12
- Proverbs 30:5 : Ps 12:6; 18:30
- Proverbs 30:5 : Ps 3:3; 84:11; Prov 2:7
- Proverbs 30:6 : Deut 4:2; 12:32; Rev 22:18
- Proverbs 30:8 : Job 23:12; Matt 6:11
- Proverbs 30:9 : Deut 8:12; 31:20; Neh 9:25; Hos 13:6
- Proverbs 30:9 : Josh 24:27; Job 31:28
- Proverbs 30:9 : Prov 6:30
- Proverbs 30:9 : Ex 20:7
- Proverbs 30:10 : Eccl 7:21
- Proverbs 30:11 : Ex 21:17; Prov 20:20
- Proverbs 30:12 : Prov 16:2; Is 65:5; Luke 18:11; Titus 1:15, 16
- Proverbs 30:13 : Prov 6:17; Is 2:11; 5:15
- Proverbs 30:14 : Ps 57:4
- Proverbs 30:14 : Job 29:17
- Proverbs 30:14 : Ps 14:4; Amos 8:4
- Proverbs 30:16 : Prov 27:20
- Proverbs 30:16 : Gen 30:1
- Proverbs 30:17 : Gen 9:22
- Proverbs 30:17 : Prov 15:20
- Proverbs 30:17 : Deut 28:26
- Proverbs 30:17 : Deut 28:26
- Proverbs 30:19 : Deut 28:49; Jer 48:40; 49:22
- Proverbs 30:20 : Prov 5:6
- Proverbs 30:22 : Prov 19:10; Eccl 10:7
- Proverbs 30:25 : Prov 6:6
- Proverbs 30:26 : Lev 11:5; Ps 104:18
- Proverbs 30:27 : Joel 2:7
- Proverbs 30:30 : Judg 14:18; 2 Sam 1:23
- Proverbs 30:30 : Mic 5:8
- Proverbs 30:32 : Job 21:5; 40:4; Mic 7:16
- Proverbs 30:33 : Prov 10:12; 29:22