30:1 The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh; an oracle;1
This2 man says3 to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ukal:4
30:2 Surely5 I am more brutish6 than any other man,7
and I do not have human understanding;8
30:3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor do I have knowledge9 of the Holy One.10
30:4 Who has ascended into heaven, and then descended?11
Who has gathered up the winds in his fists?12
Who has bound up the waters in his cloak?13
Who has established all the ends of the earth?14
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?15 —if you know!
30:5 Every word of God is purified;16
he is like17 a shield for those who take refuge in him.18
30:6 Do not add to his words,
lest he reprove you, and prove you a liar.19
30:7 Two things20 I ask from you;21
do not refuse me before I die:
30:8 Remove falsehood and lies22 far from me;
do not give me poverty or riches,
feed me with my allotted23 bread,24
30:9 lest I become satisfied and act deceptively25
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I become poor and steal
and harm26 the name of my God.
30:10 Do not slander27 a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you are found guilty.28
30:11 There is a generation29 who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers;30
30:12 there is a generation who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not washed31 from their filthiness;32
30:13 there is a generation whose eyes are so lofty,33
and whose eyelids are lifted up;34
30:14 there is a generation whose teeth are like35 swords36
and whose great teeth are like swords
to devour37 the poor from the earth
and the needy from among the human race.
30:15 The leech38 has two daughters:39
“Give! Give!”40
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four41 that never say, “Enough”42—
30:16 the grave,43 the barren womb,44
land that is not satisfied with water,
and fire that never says, “Enough!”45
30:17 The eye46 that mocks at a father
and despises obeying47 a mother—
the ravens of the valley will peck it out
and the young vultures will eat it.48
30:18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me,49
four that I do not understand:
30:19 the way50 of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship in the sea,
and the way of a man with a woman.51
30:20 This is the way52 of an adulterous53 woman:
she eats and wipes her mouth54
and says, “I have not done wrong.”55
30:21 Under three things the earth trembles,56
and under four things it cannot bear up:
30:22 under a servant57 who becomes king,
under a fool who is filled with food,58
30:23 under an unloved59 woman who is married,
and under a female servant who dispossesses60 her mistress.
30:24 There are four things on earth that are small,61
but they are exceedingly wise:62
30:25 ants are creatures with little strength,
but they prepare63 their food in the summer;
30:26 rock badgers64 are creatures with little power,
but they make their homes in the crags;
30:27 locusts have no king,
but they all go forth by ranks;65
30:28 a lizard66 you can seize with the hand,
but it is in the palaces of the king.67
30:29 There are three things that are magnificent68 in their step,
four things that move about magnificently:69
30:30 a lion, mightiest70 of the beasts,
who does not retreat from anything;
30:31 a strutting rooster,71 a male goat,
and a king with his army around him.72
30:32 If you have done foolishly in exalting yourself73
or if you have planned evil,
put74 your hand over your mouth!
30:33 For as the churning75 of milk produces butter
and as punching the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger76 produces strife.77
The Words of Lemuel