Proverbs 30:15-31:9
New American Standard Bible 1995
15 The leech has two daughters,
“Give,” “Give.”
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, “Enough”:
16 [a](A)Sheol, and the (B)barren womb,
Earth that is never satisfied with water,
And fire that never says, “Enough.”
17 The eye that (C)mocks a father
And [b](D)scorns a mother,
The (E)ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young (F)eagles will eat it.
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an (G)eagle in the sky,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a maid.
20 This is the way of an (H)adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth quakes,
And under four, it cannot bear up:
22 Under a (I)slave when he becomes king,
And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23 Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
And a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.
24 Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The (J)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The [c](K)shephanim are not mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (L)ranks;
28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.
29 There are three things which are stately in their march,
Even four which are stately when they walk:
30 The lion which is (M)mighty among beasts
And does not [d](N)retreat before any,
31 The [e]strutting rooster, the male goat also,
And a king when his army is with him.
32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself
Or if you have plotted evil, (O)put your hand on your mouth.
33 For the [f]churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose brings forth blood;
So the [g]churning of (P)anger produces strife.
The Words of Lemuel
31 The words of King Lemuel, the [h]oracle which his mother taught him:
2 What, O my son?
And what, O (Q)son of my womb?
And what, O son of my (R)vows?
3 (S)Do not give your strength to women,
Or your ways to that which (T)destroys kings.
4 It is not for (U)kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to (V)drink wine,
Or for rulers to desire strong drink,
5 For they will drink and forget what is decreed,
And (W)pervert the [i]rights of all the [j]afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is (X)perishing,
And wine to him [k](Y)whose life is bitter.
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty
And remember his trouble no more.
8 (Z)Open your mouth for the mute,
For the [l]rights of all the [m]unfortunate.
9 Open your mouth, (AA)judge righteously,
And [n]defend the (AB)rights of the afflicted and needy.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 30:16 I.e. The nether world
- Proverbs 30:17 Lit despises to obey
- Proverbs 30:26 Small, shy, furry animals (Hyrax syriacus) found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and the region round the Dead Sea; KJV coney, orig NASB badgers
- Proverbs 30:30 Lit turn back
- Proverbs 30:31 Lit girt in the loins
- Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
- Proverbs 30:33 Lit pressing
- Proverbs 31:1 Or burden
- Proverbs 31:5 Lit judgment
- Proverbs 31:5 Lit sons of affliction
- Proverbs 31:6 Lit bitter of soul
- Proverbs 31:8 Lit judgment
- Proverbs 31:8 Lit sons of passing away
- Proverbs 31:9 Lit judge the afflicted
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
