New American Standard Bible 2020

Proverbs 30

The Words of Agur

1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement.

The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:2I am certainly more 1stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man;3Nor have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the 2knowledge of the Holy One.4Who has 3ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the 4wind in His fists? Who has 5wrapped the waters in 6His garment? Who has 7established all the ends of the earth? What is His 8name or His 9Son’s name? Surely you know!

5Every 10word of God is 11pure; He is a 12shield to those who take refuge in Him.6 13Do not add to His words Or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.

7Two things I have asked of You; Do not refuse me before I die:8Keep deception and 14lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the 15food that is my portion,9So that I will not be 16full and deny 17You and say, “Who is the Lord?” And that I will not become 18impoverished and steal, And 19profane the name of my God.

10Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will 20curse you and you will be found guilty.

11There is a 21kind of person who 22curses his father And does not bless his mother.12There is a 23kind who is 24pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness.13There is a 25kind--oh how 26lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.14There is a 27kind of person whose 28teeth are like swords And his 29jaw teeth like knives, To 30devour the poor from the earth And the needy from among mankind.

15The leech has two daughters: “Give” and “Give.” There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, “Enough”:16 31 32Sheol, the 33infertile womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, “Enough.”17The eye that 34mocks a father And 35 36scorns a mother, The 37ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young 38eagles will eat it.

18There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand:19The way of the 39eagle in the sky, The way of a snake on a rock, The way of a ship in the middle of the sea, And the way of a man with a 40virgin.20This is the way of an 41adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, “I have done no wrong.”

21Under three things the earth quakes, And under four, it cannot endure:22Under a 42slave when he becomes king, And a fool when he is satisfied with food,23Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband, And a female servant when she dispossesses her mistress.

24Four things are small on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:25The 43ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer;26The 44rock hyraxes are not a mighty people, Yet they make their houses in the rocks;27The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in 45ranks;28The lizard you may grasp with the hands, Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

29There are three things which are stately in their march, Even four which are stately when they walk:30The lion, which is 46mighty among animals And does not 47 48retreat from anything,31The 49strutting rooster or the male goat, And a king when his army is with him.

32If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, Or if you have plotted evil, 50put your hand on your mouth.33For the 51churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose produces blood; So the 52churning of 53anger produces strife.

Notes

1. Proverbs 30:2 Ps 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1 ↩
2. Proverbs 30:3 Prov 9:10 ↩
3. Proverbs 30:4 Ps 68:18; John 3:13; Eph 4:8 ↩
4. Proverbs 30:4 Ex 15:10; Ps 135:7 ↩
5. Proverbs 30:4 Job 26:8; 38:8, 9 ↩
6. Proverbs 30:4 Lit the ↩
7. Proverbs 30:4 Ps 24:2; Is 45:18 ↩
8. Proverbs 30:4 Rev 19:12 ↩
9. Proverbs 30:4 Or son’s ↩
10. Proverbs 30:5 Ps 12:6; 18:30 ↩
11. Proverbs 30:5 Lit refined ↩
12. Proverbs 30:5 Ps 3:3; 84:11; Prov 2:7 ↩
13. Proverbs 30:6 Deut 4:2; 12:32; Rev 22:18 ↩
14. Proverbs 30:8 Lit words of falsehood ↩
15. Proverbs 30:8 Job 23:12; Matt 6:11 ↩
16. Proverbs 30:9 Deut 8:12; 31:20; Neh 9:25; Hos 13:6 ↩
17. Proverbs 30:9 Josh 24:27; Job 31:28 ↩
18. Proverbs 30:9 Prov 6:30 ↩
19. Proverbs 30:9 Ex 20:7 ↩
20. Proverbs 30:10 Eccl 7:21 ↩
21. Proverbs 30:11 Or generation ↩
22. Proverbs 30:11 Ex 21:17; Prov 20:20 ↩
23. Proverbs 30:12 Or generation ↩
24. Proverbs 30:12 Prov 16:2; Is 65:5; Luke 18:11; Titus 1:15, 16 ↩
25. Proverbs 30:13 Or generation ↩
26. Proverbs 30:13 Prov 6:17; Is 2:11; 5:15 ↩
27. Proverbs 30:14 Or generation ↩
28. Proverbs 30:14 Ps 57:4 ↩
29. Proverbs 30:14 Job 29:17 ↩
30. Proverbs 30:14 Ps 14:4; Amos 8:4 ↩
31. Proverbs 30:16 I.e., The netherworld ↩
32. Proverbs 30:16 Prov 27:20 ↩
33. Proverbs 30:16 Gen 30:1 ↩
34. Proverbs 30:17 Gen 9:22 ↩
35. Proverbs 30:17 Lit despises to obey ↩
36. Proverbs 30:17 Prov 15:20 ↩
37. Proverbs 30:17 Deut 28:26 ↩
38. Proverbs 30:17 Deut 28:26 ↩
39. Proverbs 30:19 Deut 28:49; Jer 48:40; 49:22 ↩
40. Proverbs 30:19 Lit young unmarried woman ↩
41. Proverbs 30:20 Prov 5:6 ↩
42. Proverbs 30:22 Prov 19:10; Eccl 10:7 ↩
43. Proverbs 30:25 Prov 6:6 ↩
44. Proverbs 30:26 Lev 11:5; Ps 104:18 ↩
45. Proverbs 30:27 Joel 2:7 ↩
46. Proverbs 30:30 Judg 14:18; 2 Sam 1:23 ↩
47. Proverbs 30:30 Lit turn back ↩
48. Proverbs 30:30 Mic 5:8 ↩
49. Proverbs 30:31 Lit girt in the loins ↩
50. Proverbs 30:32 Job 21:5; 40:4; Mic 7:16 ↩
51. Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing ↩
52. Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing ↩
53. Proverbs 30:33 Prov 10:12; 29:22 ↩

The Words of Agur

Notes

Commentaries on Proverbs 30