Proverbs 30–31

30^aThe words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even ^bthe prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

^2cSurely I am more ^dbrutish than any man,

And have not the understanding of a man.

³I neither learned wisdom,

^cNor ^†have ^ethe knowledge of the holy.

^4fWho hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?

^gWho hath gathered the wind in his fists?

^hWho hath bound the waters in a garment?

Who hath established ⁱall the ends of the earth?

^kWhat is his name, and what is his son’s name, ^lif thou canst tell?

⁵Every ^mnword of God is ^†pure:

ⁿHe is a ^oshield unto them that put their trust in him.

^6pAdd thou not unto his words,

Lest he reprove thee, and thou ^qbe found a liar.

⁷Two things have I required of thee;

^†Deny me them not ^rbefore I die:

⁸Remove far from me vanity and lies:

Give me neither poverty nor riches;

Feed me with food ^†convenient for me:

^9sLest I be full, and ^†deny thee,

And say, Who is the Lord?

Or lest I be poor, and steal,

And ^ttake the name of my God in vain.

^10†Accuse not a servant unto his master,

Lest he ^ucurse thee, and ^wthou be found guilty.

¹¹There is a generation that ^xcurseth their father,

And doth not bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation that are ^ypure in their own eyes,

And yet is not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation, O how ^zlofty are their eyes!

And their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴There is a generation, ^awhose teeth are as swords,

And their ^bjaw teeth as knives,

To ^cdevour the poor from off the earth,

And the needy from among men.

¹⁵The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give.

There are ^dthree things that are never satisfied,

Yea, ^dfour things say not, ^†It is enough:

^16eThe grave; and ^fthe barren womb;

The earth that is not filled with water;

And the fire that saith not, It is enough.

¹⁷The eye that ^gmocketh at his father,

And ^hdespiseth ⁱto obey his mother,

^kThe ravens of ^||the valley shall ^lpick it out,

And the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸There be ^dthree things which are ^mtoo wonderful for me,

Yea, ^dfour which I know not:

¹⁹ⁿThe way of an eagle in the air;

The way of a serpent upon a rock;

^oThe 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.

²¹For ^dthree things ^pthe earth is disquieted,

And for ^dfour which it cannot bear:

^22qFor a servant when he reigneth;

And ^ra fool when he is filled with meat;

²³For an ^sodious woman ^twhen she is married;

And an handmaid ^uthat is heir to her mistress.

²⁴There be four things which are little upon the earth,

But they are ^†exceeding wise:

^25vThe ants are a people not strong,

Yet ^wthey prepare their meat in the summer;

^26xThe ^yconies are but a feeble folk,

Yet make they their houses in ^xthe rocks;

²⁷The locusts ^zhave no king,

Yet go they forth all of them ^†aby bands;

²⁸The spider taketh hold with her hands,

And is in kings’ palaces.

²⁹There be ^bthree things which go well,

Yea, ^bfour are comely in going:

³⁰A ^clion which is strongest among beasts,

And ^dturneth not away for any;

³¹A ^||†greyhound; an he goat also;

And a king, against whom there is no rising up.

³²If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,

Or if thou hast ^ethought evil,

^fLay thine hand upon thy mouth.

³³Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,

And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood:

So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

31^*The words of king ^aLemuel, ^bthe prophecy that his mother taught him.

²What, my ^cson? and what, ^dthe ^cson of my womb?

And what, ^ethe ^cson of my vows?

^3fGive not thy strength unto women,

Nor thy ways ^gto that which destroyeth kings.

^4hIt is not for kings, O ^aLemuel, it is not for kings ⁱto drink wine;

Nor for ^kprinces strong drink:

⁵Lest they drink, and forget the law,

And ^†pervert the judgment ^†of any of the afflicted.

^6lGive strong drink unto him that is ^mready to perish,

And wine unto those that be ^†of heavy hearts.

⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty,

And remember his misery no more.

⁸ⁿOpen thy mouth for the dumb

In the cause of all ^†such as are appointed to destruction.

⁹Open thy mouth, ^ojudge righteously,

And ^npplead the cause of the ^qpoor and needy.

^10rWho can find ^sa virtuous woman?

For ^ther price is far above ^urubies.

¹¹The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,

So that he shall have no need of spoil.

¹²She will do him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

¹³She ^xseeketh wool, and flax,

And worketh willingly with her hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchants’ ships;

She bringeth her food from afar.

^15yShe riseth also while it is yet night,

And ^zgiveth meat to her household,

And ^aa portion to her maidens.

^16bShe considereth a field, and ^†buyeth it:

With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

^17cShe girdeth her loins with ^qstrength,

And strengtheneth her arms.

^18†She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:

Her ^dcandle goeth not out by night.

¹⁹She layeth her hands to the spindle,

And her hands hold the ^edistaff.

^20†She ^fstretcheth out her hand to the ^gpoor;

Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the ^gneedy.

²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household:

For all her household are clothed with ^||hscarlet.

²²She maketh herself ⁱcoverings of tapestry;

Her clothing is ^ksilk and ^lpurple.

^23mHer husband is known ⁿin the gates,

ⁿWhen he sitteth among the elders of the land.

²⁴She maketh ^ofine linen, and selleth it;

And delivereth girdles unto the ^pmerchant.

^25qStrength and honour are her clothing;

And ^rshe shall rejoice in time to come.

²⁶She openeth her mouth with wisdom;

And in her tongue is the law of kindness.

²⁷She looketh well to the ways of her household,

And eateth not the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children arise up, and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praiseth her.

²⁹Many daughters ^||have done ^tvirtuously,

But thou excellest them all.

^30uFavour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:

But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands;

And let her own works praise her in the gates.