Proverbs 30, side by side

¹These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, and worn out.

¹The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

²Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man.

²Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

³I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.

³I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

⁴Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— surely you know!

⁴Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?

⁵Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

⁵Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

⁶Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

⁶Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

⁷Two things I ask of You— do not refuse me before I die:

⁷Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

⁸Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

⁸Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

⁹Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.

⁹Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

¹⁰Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.

¹⁰Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

¹¹There is a generation of those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

¹¹There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

¹²There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.

¹²There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

¹³There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—

¹³There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.

¹⁴there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men.

¹⁴There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

¹⁵The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

¹⁵The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

¹⁶Sheol, the barren womb, land never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’

¹⁶The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

¹⁷As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

¹⁷The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

¹⁸There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:

¹⁸There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

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 maiden.

¹⁹The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.

²⁰This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done nothing wrong.’

²⁰Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.

²¹Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

²¹For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:

²²a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,

²²For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

²³an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.

²³For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

²⁴Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:

²⁴There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

²⁵The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

²⁵The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

²⁶the rock badgers are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;

²⁶The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

²⁷the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation;

²⁷The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

²⁸and the lizard can be caught in one’s hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.

²⁸The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.

²⁹There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:

²⁹There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:

³⁰a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;

³⁰A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

³¹a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.

³¹A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

³²If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.

³²If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

³³For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”

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.