Proverbs 30

MSG — The Message Bible (MSG)

NLT — New Living Translation Bible (NLT)

Verse 1

^1-2The skeptic swore, “There is no God!
No God!—I can do anything I want!
I’m more animal than human;
so-called human intelligence escapes me.

The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message.^[a]

I am weary, O God;
I am weary and worn out, O God.^[b]

Verse 2

— not in MSG

I am too stupid to be human,
and I lack common sense.

Verse 3

“I flunked ‘wisdom.’
    I see no evidence of a holy God.
Has anyone ever seen Anyone
    climb into Heaven and take charge?
    grab the winds and control them?
    gather the rains in his bucket?
    stake out the ends of the earth?
Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons.
    Come on now—tell me!”

I have not mastered human wisdom,
nor do I know the Holy One.

Verse 4

— not in MSG

Who 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!

Verse 5

The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true;
he protects everyone who runs to him for help.
So don’t second-guess him;
he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.

Verse 6

— not in MSG

Do not add to his words,
or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.

Verse 7

And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things
    before I die; don’t refuse me—
Banish lies from my lips
    and liars from my presence.
Give me enough food to live on,
    neither too much nor too little.
If I’m too full, I might get independent,
    saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’
If I’m poor, I might steal
    and dishonor the name of my God.”

O God, I beg two favors from you;
let me have them before I die.

Verse 8

— not in MSG

First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

Verse 9

— not in MSG

For 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.

Verse 10

Don’t blow the whistle on your fellow workers
behind their backs;
They’ll accuse you of being underhanded,
and then you’ll be the guilty one!

Never slander a worker to the employer,
or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it.

Verse 11

Don’t curse your father
or fail to bless your mother.

Some people curse their father
and do not thank their mother.

Verse 12

Don’t imagine yourself to be quite presentable
when you haven’t had a bath in weeks.

They are pure in their own eyes,
but they are filthy and unwashed.

Verse 13

Don’t be stuck-up
and think you’re better than everyone else.

They look proudly around,
casting disdainful glances.

Verse 14

Don’t be greedy,
merciless and cruel as wolves,
Tearing into the poor and feasting on them,
shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.

They have teeth like swords
and fangs like knives.
They devour the poor from the earth
and the needy from among humanity.

Verse 15

A leech has twin daughters
named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.”

Four Insatiables

Three things are never satisfied,
no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—

hell,
a barren womb,
a parched land,
a forest fire.

The leech has two suckers
that cry out, “More, more!”^[c]

There are three things that are never satisfied—
no, four that never say, “Enough!”:

Verse 16

— not in MSG

the grave,^[d]
    the barren womb,
    the thirsty desert,
    the blazing fire.

Verse 17

An eye that disdains a father
and despises a mother—
that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures
and consumed by young eagles.

Four Mysteries

The eye that mocks a father
and despises a mother’s instructions
will be plucked out by ravens of the valley
and eaten by vultures.

Verse 18

Three things amaze me,
no, four things I’ll never understand—

how an eagle flies so high in the sky,
how a snake glides over a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
why adolescents act the way they do.

There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:

Verse 19

— not in MSG

how 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.

Verse 20

Here’s how a prostitute operates:
she has sex with her client,
Takes a bath,
then asks, “Who’s next?”

Four Intolerables

An adulterous woman consumes a man,
then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

Verse 21

Three things are too much for even the earth to bear,
yes, four things shake its foundations—

when the janitor becomes the boss,
when a fool gets rich,
when a whore is voted “woman of the year,”
when a “girlfriend” replaces a faithful wife.

Four Small Wonders

There are three things that make the earth tremble—
no, four it cannot endure:

Verse 22

— not in MSG

a slave who becomes a king,
an overbearing fool who prospers,

Verse 23

— not in MSG

a bitter woman who finally gets a husband,
a servant girl who supplants her mistress.

Verse 24

There are four small creatures,
wisest of the wise they are—

ants—frail as they are,
    get plenty of food in for the winter;
marmots—vulnerable as they are,
    manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;
locusts—leaderless insects,
    yet they strip the field like an army regiment;
lizards—easy enough to catch,
    but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

Four Dignitaries

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:

Verse 25

— not in MSG

Ants—they aren’t strong,
but they store up food all summer.

Verse 26

— not in MSG

Hyraxes^[e]—they aren’t powerful,
but they make their homes among the rocks.

Verse 27

— not in MSG

Locusts—they have no king,
but they march in formation.

Verse 28

— not in MSG

Lizards—they are easy to catch,
but they are found even in kings’ palaces.

Verse 29

There are three solemn dignitaries,
four that are impressive in their bearing—

a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;
a rooster, proud and strutting;
a billy goat;
a head of state in stately procession.

There are three things that walk with stately stride—
no, four that strut about:

Verse 30

— not in MSG

the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything,

Verse 31

— not in MSG

    the strutting rooster,
    the male goat,
    a king as he leads his army.

Verse 32

If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself
    by offending people and making rude gestures,
Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.
    Churned milk turns into butter;
    riled emotions turn into fist fights.

If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil,
cover your mouth in shame.

Verse 33

— not in MSG

As the beating of cream yields butter
and striking the nose causes bleeding,
so stirring up anger causes quarrels.