Proverbs 30:10–33

¹⁰“Do not slander a slave to his master. 

The slave will curse you, 

and you will be found guilty.” 

Four Kinds of People

¹¹A certain kind of person curses his father 

and does not bless his mother. 

¹²A certain kind of person thinks he is pure 

but is not washed from his own feces.^b

¹³A certain kind of person looks around arrogantly 

and is conceited. 

¹⁴A certain kind of person, 

whose teeth are like swords 

and whose jaws are ⸤like⸥ knives, 

devours oppressed people from the earth 

and people from among humanity. 

Human Bloodsuckers

¹⁵The bloodsucking leech has two daughters—“Give!” and “Give!” 

Four Things That Are Never Satisfied

Three things are never satisfied. 

Four never say, “Enough!”: 

¹⁶the grave, 

a barren womb, 

a land that never gets enough water, 

a fire that does not say, “Enough!” 

Disrespectful Children—Their Punishment

¹⁷The eye that makes fun of a father and hates to obey a mother 

will be plucked out by ravens in the valley and eaten by young vultures. 

Four Things of Intrigue

¹⁸Three things are too amazing to me, 

even four that I cannot understand: 

¹⁹an eagle making its way through the sky, 

a snake making its way over a rock, 

a ship making its way through high seas, 

a man making his way with a virgin. 

About the Woman Who Commits Adultery

²⁰This is the way of a woman who commits adultery: 

She eats, wipes her mouth, 

and says, “I haven’t done anything wrong!” 

Four Things That Are Intolerable

²¹Three things cause the earth to tremble, 

even four it cannot bear up under: 

²²a slave when he becomes king, 

a godless fool when he is filled with food, 

²³a woman who is unloved when she gets married, 

a maid when she replaces her mistress. 

Four Things That Are Small—Yet Smart and Strong

²⁴Four things on earth are small, 

yet they are very wise: 

²⁵Ants are not a strong species, 

yet they store their food in summer. 

²⁶Rock badgers are not a mighty species, 

yet they make their home in the rocks. 

²⁷Locusts have no king, 

yet all of them divide into swarms by instinct. 

²⁸A lizard you can hold in your hands, 

yet it can even be found in royal palaces. 

Four Things That Move with Dignity

²⁹There are three things that walk with dignity, 

even four that march with dignity: 

³⁰a lion, mightiest among animals, which turns away from nothing, 

³¹a strutting rooster, 

a male goat, 

a king at the head of his army. 

Keep Calm and Quiet

³²If you are such a godless fool as to honor yourself, 

or if you scheme, 

you had better put your hand over your mouth. 

³³As churning milk produces butter 

and punching a nose produces blood, 

so stirring up anger^eproduces a fight.