30:1 The words of Agur, the son of Jakeh; an oracle: 2
This 3 man says 4 to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ukal: 5
30:2 Surely 6 I am more brutish 7 than any other human being, 8
and I do not have human understanding; 9
30:3 I have not learned wisdom,
nor do I have knowledge 10 of the Holy One. 11
30:4 Who has ascended into heaven, and then descended? 12
Who has gathered up the winds in his fists? 13
Who has bound up the waters in his cloak? 14
Who has established all the ends of the earth? 15
What is his name, and what is his son’s name? 16 – if you know!
30:5 Every word of God is purified; 17
he is like 18 a shield for those who take refuge in him. 19
30:6 Do not add to his words,
lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar. 20
30:7 Two things 21 I ask from you; 22
do not refuse me before I die:
30:8 Remove falsehood and lies 23 far from me;
do not give me poverty or riches,
feed me with my allotted portion 24 of bread, 25
30:9 lest I become satisfied and act deceptively 26
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I become poor and steal
and demean 27 the name of my God.
30:10 Do not slander 28 a servant to his master,
lest he curse you, and you are found guilty. 29
30:11 There is a generation 30 who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers. 31
30:12 There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not washed 32 from their filthiness. 33
30:13 There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, 34
and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully. 35
30:14 There is a generation whose teeth are like 36 swords 37
and whose molars 38 are like knives
to devour 39 the poor from the earth
and the needy from among the human race.
30:15 The leech 40 has two daughters: 41
“Give! Give!” 42
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four 43 that never say, “Enough” 44 –
30:16 the grave, 45 the barren womb, 46
land that is not satisfied with water,
and fire that never says, “Enough!” 47
30:17 The eye 48 that mocks at a father
and despises obeying 49 a mother –
the ravens of the valley will peck it out
and the young vultures will eat it. 50
30:18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me, 51
four that I do not understand:
30:19 the way 52 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. 53
30:20 This is the way 54 of an adulterous 55 woman:
she eats and wipes her mouth 56
and says, “I have not done wrong.” 57
30:21 Under three things the earth trembles, 58
and under four things it cannot bear up:
30:22 under a servant 59 who becomes king,
under a fool who is stuffed with food, 60
30:23 under an unloved 61 woman who is married,
and under a female servant who dispossesses 62 her mistress.
30:24 There are four things on earth that are small, 63
but they are exceedingly wise: 64
30:25 ants are creatures with little strength,
but they prepare 65 their food in the summer;
30:26 rock badgers 66 are creatures with little power,
but they make their homes in the crags;
30:27 locusts have no king,
but they all go forward by ranks; 67
30:28 a lizard 68 you can catch with the hand,
but it gets into the palaces of the king. 69
30:29 There are three things that are magnificent 70 in their step,
four things that move about magnificently: 71
30:30 a lion, mightiest 72 of the beasts,
who does not retreat from anything;
30:31 a strutting rooster, 73 a male goat,
and a king with his army around him. 74
30:32 If you have done foolishly by exalting yourself 75
or if you have planned evil,
put 76 your hand over your mouth!
30:33 For as the churning 77 of milk produces butter
and as punching the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger 78 produces strife. 79