Proverbs 30:15–29

¹⁵“A bloodsucking worm has two daughters.

They cry out, ‘Give! Give!’

“Three things are never satisfied.

Four things never say, ‘Enough!’

¹⁶The first is the grave.

The second is a woman who can’t have a baby.

The third is land. It never gets enough water.

And the fourth is fire. It never says, ‘Enough!’

¹⁷“Some make fun of their fathers.

Others laugh about obeying their mothers.

The ravens of the valley will peck their eyes out.

Then the vultures will eat them.

¹⁸“Three things are too amazing for me.

There are four things I don’t understand.

¹⁹The first is the way of an eagle in the sky.

The second is the way of a snake on a rock.

The third is the way of a ship on the ocean.

And the fourth is the way of a man with a young woman.

²⁰“This is the way of a woman who commits adultery.

She eats. She wipes her mouth.

Then she says, ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’

²¹“Under three things the earth shakes.

Under four things it can’t stand up.

²²The first is a servant who becomes a king.

The second is a foolish person who is full of food.

²³The third is a woman who is married but not loved by her husband.

And the fourth is a woman servant who takes the place of the woman she works for.

²⁴“Four things on earth are small.

But they are very wise.

²⁵The first are ants. They aren’t very strong.

But they store up their food in the summer.

²⁶The second are rock badgers. They aren’t very powerful.

But they make their home among the rocks.

²⁷The third are locusts. They don’t have a king.

But they all march forward in ranks.

²⁸And the fourth are lizards. Your hand can catch them.

But you will find them in kings’ palaces.

²⁹“Three things walk as if they were kings.

Four things move as kings do.