Proverbs 30:1–31:9

^1–230The skeptic swore, “There is no God!

No God!—I can do anything I want!

I’m more animal than human;

so-called human intelligence escapes me.

^3–4“I flunked ‘wisdom.’

I see no evidence of a holy God.

Has anyone ever seen Anyone

climb into Heaven and take charge?

grab the winds and control them?

gather the rains in his bucket?

stake out the ends of the earth?

Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons.

Come on now—tell me!”

^5–6The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true;

he protects everyone who runs to him for help.

So don’t second-guess him;

he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

^7–9And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things

before I die; don’t refuse me—

Banish lies from my lips

and liars from my presence.

Give me enough food to live on,

neither too much nor too little.

If I’m too full, I might get independent,

saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’

If I’m poor, I might steal

and dishonor the name of my God.”

¹⁰Don’t blow the whistle on your fellow workers

behind their backs;

They’ll accuse you of being underhanded,

and then you’ll be the guilty one!

¹¹Don’t curse your father

or fail to bless your mother.

¹²Don’t imagine yourself to be quite presentable

when you haven’t had a bath in weeks.

¹³Don’t be stuck-up

and think you’re better than everyone else.

¹⁴Don’t be greedy,

merciless and cruel as wolves,

Tearing into the poor and feasting on them,

shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.

^15–16A leech has twin daughters

named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.”

Four Insatiables

Three things are never satisfied,

no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—

hell,

a barren womb,

a parched land,

a forest fire.

¹⁷An eye that disdains a father

and despises a mother—

that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures

and consumed by young eagles.

Four Mysteries

^18–19Three things amaze me,

no, four things I’ll never understand—

how an eagle flies so high in the sky,

how a snake glides over a rock,

how a ship navigates the ocean,

why adolescents act the way they do.

²⁰Here’s how a prostitute operates:

she has sex with her client,

Takes a bath,

then asks, “Who’s next?”

Four Intolerables

^21–23Three things are too much for even the earth to bear,

yes, four things shake its foundations—

when the janitor becomes the boss,

when a fool gets rich,

when a whore is voted “woman of the year,”

when a “girlfriend” replaces a faithful wife.

Four Small Wonders

^24–28There are four small creatures,

wisest of the wise they are—

ants—frail as they are,

get plenty of food in for the winter;

marmots—vulnerable as they are,

manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;

locusts—leaderless insects,

yet they strip the field like an army regiment;

lizards—easy enough to catch,

but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

Four Dignitaries

^29–31There are three solemn dignitaries,

four that are impressive in their bearing—

a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;

a rooster, proud and strutting;

a billy goat;

a head of state in stately procession.

^32–33If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself

by offending people and making rude gestures,

Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.

Churned milk turns into butter;

riled emotions turn into fist fights.

Speak Out for Justice

¹31The words of King Lemuel,

the strong advice his mother gave him:

^2–3“Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of!

Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God!

Don’t dissipate your virility on fortune-hunting women,

promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders.

^4–7“Leaders can’t afford to make fools of themselves,

gulping wine and swilling beer,

Lest, hung over, they don’t know right from wrong,

and the people who depend on them are hurt.

Use wine and beer only as sedatives,

to kill the pain and dull the ache

Of the terminally ill,

for whom life is a living death.

^8–9“Speak up for the people who have no voice,

for the rights of all the down-and-outers.

Speak out for justice!

Stand up for the poor and destitute!”