Proverbs 30 :: New International Version (NIV)

Sayings of Agur

Pro 30:1The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance. This man’s utterance to Ithiel: “I am weary, God, but I can prevail.[fn]

Pro 30:2

Pro 30:2Surely I am only a brute, not a man; I do not have human understanding.

Pro 30:3

Pro 30:3I have not learned wisdom, nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.

Pro 30:4

Pro 30:4Who 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!

Pro 30:5

Pro 30:5“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Pro 30:6

Pro 30:6Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Pro 30:7

Pro 30:7“Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die:

Pro 30:8

Pro 30:8Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Pro 30:9

Pro 30:9Otherwise, 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.

Pro 30:10

Pro 30:10“Do not slander a servant to their master, or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

Pro 30:11

Pro 30:11“There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;

Pro 30:12

Pro 30:12those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

Pro 30:13

Pro 30:13those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;

Pro 30:14

Pro 30:14those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among mankind.

Pro 30:15

Pro 30:15“The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

Pro 30:16

Pro 30:16the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

Pro 30:17

Pro 30:17“The 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.

Pro 30:18

Pro 30:18“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand:

Pro 30:19

Pro 30:19the 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.

Pro 30:20

Pro 30:20“This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’

Pro 30:21

Pro 30:21“Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

Pro 30:22

Pro 30:22a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,

Pro 30:23

Pro 30:23a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress.

Pro 30:24

Pro 30:24“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:

Pro 30:25

Pro 30:25Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

Pro 30:26

Pro 30:26hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags;

Pro 30:27

Pro 30:27locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;

Pro 30:28

Pro 30:28a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Pro 30:29

Pro 30:29“There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing:

Pro 30:30

Pro 30:30a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing;

Pro 30:31

Pro 30:31a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt.[fn]

Pro 30:32

Pro 30:32“If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!

Pro 30:33

Pro 30:33For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.”

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(30:1)

With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:

(30:31)

The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.

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