Proverbs 30–31

The Words of Agur

30The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. ^tu

The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: ^v

²I am more stupid than any other man, ^w

and I lack man’s ability to understand. ^x

³I have not gained wisdom,

and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. ^y

⁴Who has gone up to heaven and come down? ^z

Who has gathered the wind in His hands?

Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? ^a

Who has established all the ends of the earth? ^b

What is His name,

and what is the name of His Son—

if you know? ^c

⁵Every word of God is pure; ^de

He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. ^f

⁶Don’t add to His words, ^g

or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. ^h

⁷Two things I ask of You;

don’t deny them to me before I die:

⁸Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor wealth;

feed me with the food I need. ⁱ

⁹Otherwise, I might have too much ^j

and deny You, ^ksaying, “Who is the Lord?” ^l

or I might have nothing and steal, ^m

profaning ⁿthe name of my God. ^o

¹⁰Don’t slander a servant to his master

or he will curse you, ^pand you will become guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that curses its father

and does not bless its mother. ^q

¹²There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, ^r

yet is not washed from its filth.

¹³There is a generation—how haughty its eyes

and pretentious its looks. ^s

¹⁴There is a generation whose teeth are swords, ^t

whose fangs are knives, ^u

devouring the oppressed from the land ^v

and the needy from among mankind.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!”

Three things ^ware never satisfied;

four never say, “Enough!”:

¹⁶Sheol; ^xa childless womb; ^y

earth, which is never satisfied with water;

and fire, which never says, “Enough!”

¹⁷As for the eye that ridicules a father ^z

and despises obedience to a mother,

may ravens of the valley pluck it out

and young vultures eat it. ^a

¹⁸Three things are beyond me;

four I can’t understand:

¹⁹the way of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a snake on a rock,

the way of a ship at sea,

and the way of a man with a young woman.

²⁰This is the way of an adulteress:

she eats and wipes her mouth

and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” ^b

²¹The earth trembles under three things;

it cannot bear up under four:

²²a servant when he becomes king, ^c

a fool when he is stuffed with food,

²³an unloved woman when she marries, ^d

and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.

²⁴Four things on earth are small,

yet they are extremely wise:

²⁵the ants are not a strong people,

yet they store up their food in the summer; ^e

²⁶hyraxes are not a mighty people,

yet they make their homes in the cliffs; ^f

²⁷locusts have no king,

yet all of them march in ranks; ^g

²⁸a lizard ^hcan be caught in your hands,

yet it lives in kings’ palaces.

²⁹Three things are stately in their stride,

even four are stately in their walk:

³⁰a lion, which is mightiest among beasts

and doesn’t retreat before anything,

³¹a strutting rooster, ⁱa goat,

and a king at the head of his army. ^j

³²If you have been foolish by exalting yourself

or if you’ve been scheming,

put your hand over your mouth. ^k

³³For the churning of milk produces butter,

and twisting a nose draws blood,

and stirring up anger produces strife. ^l

The Words of Lemuel

31The words of King Lemuel,

an oracle ^mnthat his mother taught him:

²What should I say, my son?

What, son of my womb? ^o

What, son of my vows?

³Don’t spend your energy ^pon women

or your efforts on those who destroy kings. ^q

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel,

it is not for kings ^rto drink wine ^s

or for rulers to desire beer.

⁵Otherwise, they ^twill drink,

forget what is decreed, ^u

and pervert justice for all the oppressed. ^vw

⁶Give beer to one who is dying

and wine to one whose life is bitter. ^x

⁷Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty

and remember his trouble no more. ^y

⁸Speak up ^zfor those who have no voice, ^ab

for the justice of all who are dispossessed. ^c

⁹Speak up, ^djudge righteously, ^e

and defend the cause of ^fthe oppressed and needy. ^g

In Praise of a Capable Wife

¹⁰Who can find a capable wife? ^hi

She is far more precious than jewels. ^j

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will not lack anything good.

¹²She rewards him with good, not evil,

all the days of her life.

¹³She selects wool and flax

and works with willing hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from far away. ^k

¹⁵She rises while it is still night ^l

and provides food for her household

and portions ^mfor her female servants. ⁿ

¹⁶She evaluates a field and buys it;

she plants a vineyard with her earnings. ^op

¹⁷She draws on her strength ^q

and reveals that her arms are strong. ^r

¹⁸She sees that her profits are good,

and her lamp never goes out at night. ^s

¹⁹She extends her hands to the spinning staff,

and her hands hold the spindle. ^t

²⁰Her hands reach ^uout to the poor,

and she extends her hands to the needy. ^v

²¹She is not afraid for her household when it snows,

for all in her household are doubly clothed. ^w

²²She makes her own bed coverings; ^x

her clothing is fine linen ^yand purple. ^z

²³Her husband is known at the city gates,

where he sits among the elders of the land. ^a

²⁴She makes and sells linen garments;

she delivers belts ^bto the merchants.

²⁵Strength ^cand honor are her clothing, ^d

and she can laugh at the time to come. ^e

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom

and loving instruction ^fis on her tongue.

²⁷She watches over the activities of her household ^g

and is never idle. ^h

²⁸Her sons rise up and call her blessed.

Her husband also praises her:

²⁹“Many women ⁱare capable,

but you surpass them all!” ^j

³⁰Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, ^k

but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

³¹Give her the reward of her labor, ^l

and let her works praise her at the city gates.