30 Dee Wead fonn Agur, däm Jaka siene Sän, dee Laust; dee Kjrieja säd to Iteal un Ukal.

Sejcha sie ekj meeha hungsch aus irjent sestwäa; un ekj ha nich dee Festentnis fonn en Maun.

Ekj ha nich Weisheit jeleat, oba ekj weet dee Wissenschoft fonn Heilijchkjeit.

Wäa es enopp jefoare nom Himmel, un wäa es rauf jefoare? Wäa haft dee Wint toop jesaumelt enn siene Fuste? Wäa haft dee Wotasch toop jebunge enn sien Wanikj? Wäa haft dee Enj fonn dee Ead oppjehowe? Waut es sien Nome, un waut es sien Sän sien Nome? Sejchalijch weetst du!

Jiedat Wuat fonn Gott woat utjeprooft; Hee es en Schilt to dän dee enn am Tooflucht seakje.

Doo nich to siene Wead toolaje, soo daut Hee die nich schelle sull un du wuscht utjefunje woare aus en Läajna.

Ekj ha die jefroacht no twee Dinje, hool dee nich trigj fonn mie eeha ekj stoaw:

Nemm Nutslooset un ne Leaj wiet wajch fonn mie; jeff mie nich Oamoot oda Rikjdom; jeff mie mien poat fonn Broot jieda Dach;

Soo daut ekj nich foll woa un beschumle doo, un saje sull: "Wäa es dee Herr Gott?" oda daut ekj sull Oam senne un stäle doo, un mien Gott siene Nome schende wudd.

10 Doo nich schlajchtet fonn en Deena fetale to sien Meista, sest wudd hee die fluche un du wuscht schuldijch senne.

11 Ne Jenerazion deit äa Foda fluche, un deit äare Mutta nich säajne;

12 ne Jenerazioin dee enn äa eajne Senn Acht es, un doch nich rein jewosche fonn äa eajnet Drakj.

13 Doa es ne Jenerazion, O woo huachmootijch sent äare Uage, un dee Uagalette sent nehejcht jehowe;

14 ne Jenerazion dän äare Täne soo sent aus Schweate, un dee Baktäne soo aus Massasch dee Oame oppe Ead opp to schlucke, un dee Bederftje fonn mank Mensche.

15 Dee Blootworm haft twee Dajchte dee schriehe, Jeff! Jeff! Dree Dinje dee nich tofräd kjenne jestalt woare; feeha dee niemols saje: Jenuach!

16 Dee Hal, un daut Muttalief daut nich Kjinje to Welt brinjt; dee Ead dee nich met Wota jefelt woat; un daut Fia daut niemols sajcht, Jenuach!

17 Daut Uag daut Spos moakt fonn sien Foda, un siene Mutta nich jehuarsaum es – dee Krauje emm Tol woare sien Uag ut puakse, un dee Odla Säns woare daut oppfräte.

18 Doa sent dree Dinje dee to wundafoll sent fa mie: jo, feeha dee ekj nich weet:

19 Woo en Odla sikj benemt enne Himmels; woo ne Schlang sikj benemt opp en Steen; woo en Schepp oppem See foat; un woo en Maun sikj benemt met ne Junkfru.

20 Soo es ne Hua äa Wajch; see at un wescht äa Mul, un sajcht: "Ekj ha kjeen Beeset jedone".

21 Dee Ead scheddat wäajen dree dinje, jo, doa sent feeha daut see nich fedroage kaun:

22 Unja en Deena wan hee harscht; unja en Noa wan hee met Äte jefelt es met Noaring;

23 Unja wäa jehausst woat wan see befriet es; unja en Deenstmäakje dee en Oaw es to äa Meista.

24 Feeha Dinje sent kjleen oppe Ead, oba dee sent Weis aus dee, dee Weis jemoakt sent.

25 Dee Eemstje sent en Folkj dee nich stoakj sent, doch moake see äa Äte reed emm Somma;

26 Dee Eadschwien sent nich en majchtjet Folkj, doch moake see sikj tusijch mank Steene;

27 Dee Heischrakje ha kjeen Kjeenijch, doch gone dee jieda rut enn en Schwarm;

28 Du kaunst däm Äajdakjsel enne Haunt name, un dee es enn däm Kjeenijch sien Paulaust.

29 Doa sent dree Dinje dee goot sent enn Mascheare; jo, feeha dee goot sent emm gone:

30 En Leiw dee majchtijch mank dee Beeste; un hee dreit sikj nijch wajch fonn waut fer am es;

31 eena dee siene Lende ommgort haft; un en Kosebok; un en Kjeenijch wan siene Armee bie am es.

32 Wan du noarisch best jewast enn die selfst eare; oda wan du Beeset jedocht hast, laj diene Haunt opp dien Mul!

33 Sejchlaijch kjemt Glomms rut wan Malkj jeschliesat woat; un Bloot kjemt wan dee Näs jekwatscht woat; so kjemt Striet fäa wan Oaja jereitst woat.

Sayings of Agur

30 The sayings(A) of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,
    but I can prevail.[a]
Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
    I do not have human understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.(B)
Who has gone up(C) to heaven and come down?
    Whose hands(D) have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters(E) in a cloak?(F)
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name,(G) and what is the name of his son?
    Surely you know!

“Every word of God is flawless;(H)
    he is a shield(I) to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add(J) to his words,
    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.(K)
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown(L) you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’(M)
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.(N)

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

11 “There are those who curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers;(O)
12 those who are pure in their own eyes(P)
    and yet are not cleansed of their filth;(Q)
13 those whose eyes are ever so haughty,(R)
    whose glances are so disdainful;
14 those whose teeth(S) are swords
    and whose jaws are set with knives(T)
to devour(U) the poor(V) from the earth
    and the needy from among mankind.(W)

15 “The leech has two daughters.
    ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

“There are three things that are never satisfied,(X)
    four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16 the grave,(Y) the barren womb,
    land, which is never satisfied with water,
    and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

17 “The eye that mocks(Z) a father,
    that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
    will be eaten by the vultures.(AA)

18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me,
    four that I do not understand:
19 the 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.

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

21 “Under three things the earth trembles,
    under four it cannot bear up:
22 a servant who becomes king,(AC)
    a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
23 a contemptible woman who gets married,
    and a servant who displaces her mistress.

24 “Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;(AD)
26 hyraxes(AE) are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts(AF) have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
30 a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.[b]

32 “If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
    or if you plan evil,
    clap your hand over your mouth!(AG)
33 For as churning cream produces butter,
    and as twisting the nose produces blood,
    so stirring up anger produces strife.”

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:1 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:
  2. Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.