Proverbs 30-31
New King James Version
The Wisdom of Agur
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who 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?

5 Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest 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.

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

11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There 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.

15 The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16 The grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

17 The 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.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
19 The 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.

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

21 For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22 For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23 A hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

29 There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;
31 A greyhound,
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops are with him.

32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

The Words of King Lemuel’s Mother
31 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

2 What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
5 Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The Virtuous Wife
10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Footnotes
Proverbs 30:5 tested, refined, found pure
Proverbs 30:13 In arrogance
Proverbs 30:16 Or Sheol
Proverbs 30:19 Lit. heart
Proverbs 30:23 Or hated
Proverbs 30:26 rock hyraxes
Proverbs 30:28 Or lizard
Proverbs 30:31 Or perhaps strutting rooster, lit. girded of waist
Proverbs 30:31 A Jewish tradition a king against whom there is no uprising
Proverbs 31:5 Lit. sons of affliction
Proverbs 31:8 Lit. sons of passing away
Proverbs 31:10 Vv. 10–31 are an alphabetic acrostic in Hebrew; cf. Ps. 119
Proverbs 31:10 Lit. a wife of valor, in the sense of all forms of excellence
Proverbs 31:16 Lit. the fruit of her hands
Proverbios 30-31
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
VI.— SABIDURÍA DE AGUR (30)
El escéptico y el creyente
30 Palabras de Agur, hijo de Jaqué, de Masá. Oráculo de este hombre.

Me he fatigado, oh Dios, y estoy agotado.
2 Nadie hay más estúpido que yo,
no tengo inteligencia humana.
3 No he aprendido sabiduría,
no conozco la ciencia santa.
4 ¿Quién subió hasta el cielo y luego bajó?
¿Quién encerró el viento en su puño?
¿Quién recogió el mar en su vestido?
¿Quién estableció los confines de la tierra?
¿Sabes cuál es su nombre y el de su hijo?
5 Toda palabra de Dios es digna de crédito,
es un escudo para cuantos confían en él.
6 No añadas nada a sus palabras,
no sea que te corrija y demuestre tu mentira.
7 Dos cosas te he pedido,
concédemelas antes de morir:
8 aleja de mí la falsedad y la mentira;
y no me des pobreza ni riqueza,
sino sólo el alimento necesario;
9 no sea que, si estoy saciado, reniegue de ti
y diga: “¿Quién es el Señor?”;
y si estoy necesitado, me dedique a robar
y a ofender así el nombre de mi Dios.

Tipología de malvados
10 No acuses a un criado ante su amo,
pues te maldecirá y lo pagarás.
11 Hay gente que maldice a su padre
y no bendice a su madre;
12 hay gente que se cree pura
y no ha lavado sus manchas;
13 hay gente de ojos altivos,
gente cuya mirada es altanera.
14 Y hay gente con espadas por dientes
y cuchillos en lugar de muelas
para devorar a los humildes del país
y a los pobres de la tierra.

Dichos numéricos
15 La sanguijuela tiene dos hijas
y las dos se llaman “dame”.
Hay tres cosas insaciables
y una cuarta que nunca se harta:
16 abismo, vientre estéril,
tierra sedienta de agua
y fuego que nunca se harta.
17 Quien mira a su padre en son de burla
y desprecia a su anciana madre,
los cuervos le sacarán [los ojos]
y será devorado por los buitres.
18 Hay tres cosas que me desbordan
y una cuarta que no comprendo:
19 el rastro del águila por el cielo,
el rastro de la serpiente sobre la roca,
el rastro del barco en alta mar
y el rastro del hombre en la mujer.
20 Este es el proceder de la adúltera:
come, se limpia la boca y dice:
“¡No he hecho nada malo!”.
21 Tres cosas hay que hacen temblar la tierra
y una cuarta que no puede soportar:
22 esclavo que llega a rey,
necio sobrado de alimento,
23 arpía que caza marido
y criada que hereda de su ama.
24 Hay cuatro pequeños seres en la tierra
que son más sabios que los sabios:
25 las hormigas, pueblo débil
que en verano asegura su alimento;
26 los tejones, pueblo sin fuerza
que hace madrigueras en la roca;
27 las langostas, que no tienen rey
y avanzan todas bien organizadas;
28 la lagartija, que la atrapas con las manos
y habita en palacios reales.
29 Hay tres seres de paso garboso
y un cuarto de airoso caminar:
30 el león, el animal más fuerte
que ante nada retrocede,
31 el gallo orgulloso, el macho cabrío,
y el rey al frente de su pueblo.
32 Si hiciste el tonto presumiendo
y has reflexionado, cierra la boca;
33 apretar la leche produce manteca,
apretar la nariz produce sangre,
apretar la ira produce riñas.

VII.— SABIDURÍA DE LEMUEL (31)
31 Palabras de Lemuel, rey de Masá, que le enseñó su madre.

Instrucción real
2 ¿Qué decirte, hijo mío,
hijo de mis entrañas,
hijo de mis promesas?
3 Que no entregues tu energía a las mujeres,
ni tu vigor a las que pierden a reyes.
4 No es digno de reyes, Lemuel,
no es digno de reyes beber vino,
ni de gobernantes consumir licores;
5 pues, si beben, olvidan la ley
y traicionan a los más humildes.
6 Den alcohol al desesperado
y vino al que está amargado:
7 que beba y olvide su miseria,
que no se acuerde más de sus penas.
8 Habla por el que no puede hablar,
sal en defensa de los desvalidos;
9 habla para juzgar con justicia
y para defender a humildes y pobres.

Conclusión: la mujer ideal
10 ¿Quién encontrará a una mujer ideal?
Vale mucho más que las piedras preciosas.
11 Su marido confía plenamente en ella
y no le faltan ganancias.
12 Le da beneficios sin mengua
todos los días de su vida.
13 Adquiere lana y lino
y los trabaja con finas manos.
14 Es como un barco mercante
que de lejos trae provisiones.
15 Se levanta cuando aún es de noche
para dar de comer a su familia
y organizar a sus criadas.
16 Examina y compra tierras,
con sus ganancias planta viñas.
17 Se arremanga con decisión
y trabaja con energía.
18 Comprueba si sus negocios van bien
y de noche no apaga su lámpara.
19 Sus manos se aplican al telar
y sus dedos manejan la aguja.
20 Tiende sus manos al necesitado
y ofrece su ayuda al indigente.
21 No teme por su familia cuando nieva,
pues todos los suyos van bien abrigados.
22 Fabrica sus propias mantas
y se viste con las telas más finas.
23 Su marido es conocido en la ciudad
y se sienta con los ancianos del lugar.
24 Teje y vende prendas de lino
y provee de cinturones al comerciante.
25 Va vestida de fuerza y dignidad
y mira con optimismo el porvenir.
26 Abre su boca con sabiduría
y su lengua instruye con cariño.
27 Vigila la marcha de su casa
y no come el pan de balde.
28 Sus hijos se apresuran a felicitarla
y su marido entona su alabanza:
29 “Muchas mujeres han hecho proezas,
¡pero tú las superas a todas!”.
30 Engañoso es el encanto y fugaz la belleza;
la mujer que respeta al Señor es digna de alabanza.
31 Recompénsenle el fruto de su trabajo
y que sus obras publiquen su alabanza.