Proverbs 30–31

Chapter 30

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the prophecy uttered by the man unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal: ²Truly I am more stupid than any one; and I have not a man’s intelligence. ³I have neither learned wisdom, nor have I the knowledge of the Holy. ⁴Who hath ascended up into the heavens, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a mantle? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest? ⁵Every word of †God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. ⁶Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

⁷Two things do I ask of thee; deny me them not before I die: ⁸Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread of my daily need: ⁹lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah? or lest I be poor and steal, and outrage the name of my God.

¹⁰Speak not too much about a servant to his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty. ¹¹There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother; ¹²there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, yet are not washed from their filthiness; ¹³there is a generation, —how lofty are their eyes, how their eyelids are lifted up! ¹⁴—a generation whose teeth are swords, and their jaw-teeth knives, to devour the afflicted from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵The leech hath two daughters: Give, give. There are three things never satisfied; four which say not, It is enough: ¹⁶—Sheol, and the barren womb; the earth which is not filled with water, and the fire which saith not, It is enough. ¹⁷The eye that mocketh at a father, and despiseth to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸There are three things too wonderful for me, and four that I know not: ¹⁹The way of an eagle in the heavens, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid. ²⁰Such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. ²¹Under three things the earth is disquieted, and under four it cannot bear up: ²²Under a servant when he reigneth, and a churl when he is filled with meat; ²³under an odious woman when she is married, and a handmaid when she is heir to her mistress.

²⁴There are four things little upon the earth, and they are exceeding wise: ²⁵The ants, a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; ²⁶the rock-badgers are but a feeble folk, yet they make their house in the cliff; ²⁷the locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands; ²⁸thou takest hold of the lizard with the hands, yet is she in kings’ palaces.

²⁹There are three things which have a stately step, and four are comely in going: ³⁰The lion, mighty among beasts, which turneth not away for any; ³¹a horse girt in the loins; or the he-goat; and a king, against whom none can rise up. ³²If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay the hand upon thy mouth. ³³For the pressing of milk bringeth forth butter, and the pressing of the nose bringeth forth blood; and the pressing of anger bringeth forth strife.

Chapter 31

¹The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him: ²What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? and what, O son of my vows? ³Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to them that destroy kings. ⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers to say, Where is the strong drink? ⁵—lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the children of affliction. ⁶Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter of soul: ⁷let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. ⁸Open thy mouth for the dumb, for the cause of all those that are left desolate. ⁹Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and minister justice to the afflicted and needy.

¹⁰Who can find a woman of worth? for her price is far above rubies. ¹¹The heart of her husband confideth in her, and he shall have no lack of spoil. ¹²She doeth him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. ¹³She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. ¹⁴She is like the merchants’ ships: she bringeth her food from afar; ¹⁵And she riseth while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and the day’s work to her maidens. ¹⁶She considereth a field, and acquireth it; of the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. ¹⁷She girdeth her loins with strength, and maketh strong her arms. ¹⁸She perceiveth that her earning is good; her lamp goeth not out by night. ¹⁹She putteth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. ²⁰She stretcheth out her hand to the afflicted, and she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. ²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet. ²²She maketh herself coverlets; her clothing is byssus and purple. ²³Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. ²⁴She maketh body linen and selleth it, and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. ²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laugheth at the coming day. ²⁶She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and upon her tongue is the law of kindness. ²⁷She surveyeth the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. ²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her: ²⁹Many daughters have done worthily, but thou excellest them all. ³⁰Gracefulness is deceitful and beauty is vain; a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised. ³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.