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Proverbs chapter 30

English Standard Version

1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out.
2Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. 3I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. 4Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! 5Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. 7Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. 10Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. 11There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. 12There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. 13There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift! 14There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind. 15The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: 16Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.” 17The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. 18Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: 19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin. 20This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done no wrong.” 21Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up: 22a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food; 23an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress. 24Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: 25the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; 26the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; 27the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; 28the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces. 29Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride: 30the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any; 31the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king whose army is with him. 32If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth. 33For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
New International Version

1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh--an inspired utterance. This man's utterance to Ithiel: 'I am weary, God, but I can prevail. 2Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding. 3I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.
4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped 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! 5Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. 7Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
10Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it. 11There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; 12those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth; 13those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;
14those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind.
15The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. 'There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!':
16the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'
17The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures. 18There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:
19the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.
20This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.' 21Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: 22a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress. 24Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 27locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
28a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces. 29There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: 30a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;
31a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt. 32If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! 33For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.'
New American Standard Bible

1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement. The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
2I am certainly more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man; 3Nor have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name? Surely you know! 5Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6Do 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 lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, 9So that I will not be full and deny You and say, 'Who is the Lord?' And that I will not become impoverished and steal, And profane the name of my God. 10Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty. 11There is a kind of person who curses his father And does not bless his mother. 12There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness. 13There is a kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. 14There is a kind of person whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour 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 Sheol, the infertile womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, 'Enough.' 17The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. 18There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Four which I do not understand: 19The way of the eagle 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 virgin. 20This is the way of an adulterous 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 slave 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 ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer; 26The rock 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 ranks; 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 mighty among animals And does not retreat from anything, 31The strutting 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, put your hand on your mouth. 33For the churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose produces blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.
Christian Standard Bible

1The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The pronouncement. The man's oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 2I am more stupid than any other person, and I lack a human's ability to understand. 3I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. 4Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his hands? Who has bound 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 -- if you know? 5Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6Don't add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. 7Two things I ask of you; don't deny them to me before I die: 8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need.
9Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, "Who is the Lord? " or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.
10Don't slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty. 11There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. 12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth. 13There is a generation--how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks.
14There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind. 15The leech has two daughters: "Give, Give! " Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough! ":
16Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, "Enough! "
17As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it. 18Three things are too wondrous for me; four I can't understand:
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 young woman.
20This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, "I've done nothing wrong." 21The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: 22a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen. 24Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; 27locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks;
28a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings' palaces. 29Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their walk: 30a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn't retreat before anything;
31a strutting rooster; a goat; and a king at the head of his army. 32If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you've been scheming, put your hand over your mouth. 33For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife.
New Living Translation

1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. 2I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense. 3I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One.
4Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name — and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!
5Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 6Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.
7O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 8First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.
10Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.
11Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. 12They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed. 13They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances. 14They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity.
15The leech has two suckers that cry out, 'More, more!' There are three things that are never satisfied — no, four that never say, 'Enough!': 16the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire.
17The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures.
18There are three things that amaze me — no, four things that I don’t understand: 19how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.
20An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, 'What’s wrong with that?'
21There are three things that make the earth tremble — no, four it cannot endure: 22a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers, 23a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress.
24There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: 25Ants — they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer. 26Hyraxes — they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. 27Locusts — they have no king, but they march in formation. 28Lizards — they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces.
29There are three things that walk with stately stride — no, four that strut about: 30the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything, 31the strutting rooster, the male goat, a king as he leads his army.
32If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, cover your mouth in shame.
33As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels.
King James Version

1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal, 2Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. 3I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. 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 pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 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.
10Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty. 11There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. 12There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 13There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. 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 horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: 16The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. 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 be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: 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. 20Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. 21For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: 22For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; 23For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
29There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: 30A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; 31A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. 32If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. 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.

What does Proverbs chapter 30 mean?

A small number of scholars suggest that the name "Agur" was another title for Solomon. However, most believe this is a different person. His words are described as an "oracle:" as a crucially important message from the Lord. Less clear is the meaning of the first words of his message. Depending on how the Hebrew letters are divided, it could be an address to two particular men. Or, it might be a reference to personal weariness.(Proverbs 30:1).

Agur's message begins with an extreme level of humility. The idea is so pronounced that some commentators believe it is sarcastic. This would suggest that Agur was responding to someone—such as a critic—by satirically calling himself "stupid" and his detractor "understanding." He makes note of his own limitations, compared to God, and uses the same rhetorical device the Lord used when questioning Job (Job 38:4–5). Whether this is purely sincere, or derisive, or some combination of both, Agur's other teachings will reinforce the need to know one's limitations (Proverbs 30:2–4).

Part of Agur's text is a prayer for God's guidance away from certain errors. He proclaims the sufficiency of God's revealed truth, warning not to tamper with that message. He prays for God to protect him from dishonesty. He also asks that God keep him from the extremes of poverty and luxury. Agur realizes that both conditions pose their own temptations. He then denounces various sins, such as rebellion, arrogance, and abuse of the weak (Proverbs 30:5–14).

The final section of Agur's lessons frequently use a technique seen often in Scripture (Proverbs 6:16; 30:15, 18, 21, 24, 29; Job 5:19; Amos 1:3). This involves naming a number, then that number plus one, to suggest completion in the message. He explains that greed never leads to satisfaction, only to more desire. A rebellious attitude leads to disaster, exemplified by the person who curses their parents (Proverbs 30:15–17).

One of Agur's paragraphs mentions four concepts which seem hard to connect. These are a bird's flight in air, a snake's path over rock, a ship's travel by sea, and "the way of a man with a virgin." It's possible these are references to things which happen despite seeming inexplicable. Most likely, his point is that these are all mysterious; none leaves an immediate trace. Adultery, perhaps the final example, is not a sin which leaves obvious evidence. Agur's next statement seems to reinforce that interpretation, as he notes how a person may sin without feeling guilt (Proverbs 30:18–20).

The next segment notes four examples of disruption caused by an out-of-place person. Agur's lesson is not that people should never seek to improve their lives. Rather, it's to note that suddenly thrusting a person into new circumstances can lead to disaster. Installing a slave as king means a ruler with no experience or context for that responsibility. Ungodly people whose needs are met are even more likely to ignore God. Scorned, mistreated people may bring vengeance or bitterness into a marriage. And putting a young girl in charge of her former mistress' home is unwise (Proverbs 30:21–23).

Four examples are given of lowly creatures who succeed at impressive feats. This seems to teach that God's creative power allows Him to achieve His will using weak, unimportant instruments. Also, it speaks to His providence. Ants are tiny, yet they find food and survive the seasons. Rock hyraxes—similar to groundhogs—cannot fight, yet they live in the cliffs men seek out as fortresses. Locusts lack leaders, but "march" and conquer like an army when they swarm. Lizards are not hard to catch, but they manage to sneak into the most secure places (Proverbs 30:24–28).

The last numbered lesson given by Agur involves the idea of things which are "stately" in their movement. This implies something confident, assured, powerful, and calm. The term is used as the proper impression to be given by kings and leaders. The ultimate example of this is the lion: unchallenged as the mightiest predator in his terrain. The final example is the king who knows his armies are loyal (Proverbs 30:29–31).

Agur ends his lessons with a warning about natural consequences. Whether one intends to, or not, thrashing milk will turn it into butter. Punching someone in the nose will make them bleed. And provoking others to anger results in anguish and controversy. For that reason, a person who realizes they've been acting like a fool should take steps towards self-control: even if it means clamping a hand over their own mouth (Proverbs 30:32–33).
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