Proverbs 30 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

The Wisdom of Agur

Pro 30:1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

Pro 30:2Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.

Pro 30:3I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

Pro 30:4Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound 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,
If you know?

Pro 30:5

Pro 30:5Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Pro 30:6

Pro 30:6Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

Pro 30:7

Pro 30:7Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):

Pro 30:8

Pro 30:8Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;

Pro 30:9

Pro 30:9Lest 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.

Pro 30:10

Pro 30:10Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

Pro 30:11

Pro 30:11There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.

Pro 30:12

Pro 30:12There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

Pro 30:13

Pro 30:13There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.

Pro 30:14

Pro 30:14There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

Pro 30:15

Pro 30:15The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:

Pro 30:16

Pro 30:16The grave,[fn]
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

Pro 30:17

Pro 30:17The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

Pro 30:18

Pro 30:18There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:

Pro 30:19

Pro 30:19The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

Pro 30:20

Pro 30:20This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

Pro 30:21

Pro 30:21For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:

Pro 30:22

Pro 30:22For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,

Pro 30:23

Pro 30:23A hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

Pro 30:24

Pro 30:24There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

Pro 30:25

Pro 30:25The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

Pro 30:26

Pro 30:26The rock badgers[fn] are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;

Pro 30:27

Pro 30:27The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;

Pro 30:28

Pro 30:28The spider[fn] skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

Pro 30:29

Pro 30:29There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:

Pro 30:30

Pro 30:30A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;

Pro 30:31

Pro 30:31A greyhound,[fn]
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops are with him.[fn]

Pro 30:32

Pro 30:32If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.

Pro 30:33

Pro 30:33For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

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

NKJV Footnotes

Or Sheol

Or hyraxes

Or lizard

Exact identity unknown

(30:31)

A Jewish tradition reads a king against whom there is no uprising.

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