Proverbs 30 — ULB

30Verse 1The words of Agur son of Jakeh—the utterance:This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:^{+
Verse 2}Surely I am more like an animal than any human
and I do not have the understanding of a human being.
^{Verse 3}I have not learned wisdom,
nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One.
^{Verse 4}Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?
Who has gathered up the waters in a 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!
^{Verse 5}Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
^{Verse 6}Do not add to his words,
or he will discipline you,
and you will be proved to be a liar.
^{Verse 7}Two things I ask of you,
do not withhold them from me before I die:
^{Verse 8}Put vanity and lies far away from me.
Give me neither poverty nor riches,
just give me the food I need.
^{Verse 9}For if I have too much, I might deny you and say, “Who is Yahweh?”
Or if I become poor,
I might steal and profane the name of my God.
^{Verse 10}Do not slander a slave before his master,
or he will curse you and you will be held guilty.
^{Verse 11}There is a generation that curses their father
and does not bless their mother.
^{Verse 12}There is a generation that is pure in their own eyes,
and yet they are not washed of their filth.
^{Verse 13}There is a generation whose eyes are raised up,
and how high are their eyelids lifted up!
^{Verse 14}There is a generation whose teeth are swords,
and their jawbones are like knives,
so they may devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.
^{Verse 15}The leech has two daughters: “Give and give” they cry.
There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, “Enough”:
^{Verse 16}Sheol; the barren womb;
land that is never satisfied with water;
and the fire that never says, “Enough!”
^{Verse 17}The eye that mocks a father
and scorns obedience to a mother,
his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
and he will be eaten by the vultures.
^{Verse 18}There are three things that are too wonderful for me,
four that I do not understand:
^{Verse 19}the way of an eagle in the sky;
the way of a snake on a rock;
the way of a ship in the heart of the sea;
and the way of a man with a young woman.
^{Verse 20}This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and she wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”
^{Verse 21}Under three things the earth trembles,
and under four it cannot bear up:
^{Verse 22}a slave when he becomes king;
a fool when he is filled with food;
^{Verse 23}a hated woman when she marries;
and a maid when she takes the place of her mistress.
^{Verse 24}Four things on earth are small
and yet they are very wise:
^{Verse 25}the ants are creatures that are not strong,
but they prepare their food in the summer;
^{Verse 26}the rock badgers are not mighty creatures,
but they make their homes in the rocks.
^{Verse 27}Locusts have no king,
but all of them march in rank.
^{Verse 28}As for the lizard, you can hold it in your two hands,
yet they are found in kings' palaces.
^{Verse 29}There are three things that are stately in their stride
and four that are stately in how they walk:
^{Verse 30}a lion, strongest among wild animals—
it does not turn away from anything;
^{Verse 31}a strutting rooster; a goat;
and a king whose soldiers are beside him.
^{Verse 32}If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil—
put your hand over your mouth.
^{Verse 33}As churning milk makes butter
and as one's nose will produce blood if it is twisted,
so deeds done in anger produce conflict.