30:1  The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa. The man says to Ith'i-el, to Ith'i-el and Ucal:

30:2  Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.

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

30:4  Who 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!

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

30:6  Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

30:7  Two things I ask of thee; deny them not to me before I die:

30:8  Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,

30:9  lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.

30:10  Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

30:11  There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.

30:12  There are those who are pure in their own eyes but are not cleansed of their filth.

30:13  There are those--how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift!

30:14  There are those whose teeth are swords, whose teeth are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among men.

30:15  The leech has two daughters; "Give, give," they cry. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough":

30:16  Sheol, the barren womb, the earth ever thirsty for water, and the fire which never says, "Enough."

30:17  The 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.

30:18  Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand:

30:19  the 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 maiden.

30:20  This is the way of an adulteress: she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."

30:21  Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up:

30:22  a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when he is filled with food;

30:23  an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maid when she succeeds her mistress.

30:24  Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:

30:25  the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;

30:26  the badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the rocks;

30:27  the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank;

30:28  the lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.

30:29  Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride:

30:30  the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any;

30:31  the strutting cock, the he-goat, and a king striding before his people.

30:32  If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.

30:33  For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.