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Proverbs chapter 30 in Hebrew and English

33 verses, about 3 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

דִּבְרֵי אָגוּר בִּן־יָקֶה הַמַּשָּׂא נְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר לְאִיתִיאֵל לְאִיתִיאֵל וְאֻכָֽל׃

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the burden. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal:

כִּי בַעַר אָנֹכִי מֵאִישׁ וְלֹא־בִינַת אָדָם לִֽי׃

Surely I am brutish, unlike a man, And have not the understanding of a man;

וְלֹא־לָמַדְתִּי חָכְמָה וְדַעַת קְדֹשִׁים אֵדָֽע׃

And I have not learned wisdom, That I should have the knowledge of the Holy One.

מִי עָלָה־שָׁמַיִם וַיֵּרַד מִי אָסַף־רוּחַ בְּחָפְנָיו מִי צָרַר־מַיִם בַּשִּׂמְלָה מִי הֵקִים כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ מַה־שְּׁמוֹ וּמַה־שֶּׁם־בְּנוֹ כִּי תֵדָֽע׃

Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?

כָּל־אִמְּרַת אֱלוֹהַּ צְרוּפָה מָגֵן הוּא לַחֹסִים בּֽוֹ׃

Every word of God is tried; He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him.

אַל־תּוֹסְףְּ עַל־דְּבָרָיו פֶּן־יוֹכִיחַ בְּךָ וְנִכְזָֽבְתָּ׃

Add thou not unto His words, Lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

שְׁתַּיִם שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאִתָּךְ אַל־תִּמְנַע מִמֶּנִּי בְּטֶרֶם אָמֽוּת׃

Two things have I asked of Thee; Deny me them not before I die:

שָׁוְא וּדְבַר־כָּזָב הַרְחֵק מִמֶּנִּי רֵאשׁ וָעֹשֶׁר אַל־תִּתֶּן־לִי הַטְרִיפֵנִי לֶחֶם חֻקִּֽי׃

Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with mine allotted bread;

פֶּן אֶשְׂבַּע וְכִחַשְׁתִּי וְאָמַרְתִּי מִי יְהוָה וּפֶן־אִוָּרֵשׁ וְגָנַבְתִּי וְתָפַשְׂתִּי שֵׁם אֱלֹהָֽי׃

Lest I be full, and deny, and say: ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or lest I be poor, and steal, And profane the name of my God.

אַל־תַּלְשֵׁן עֶבֶד אֶל־אֲדֹנָיו פֶּן־יְקַלֶּלְךָ וְאָשָֽׁמְתָּ׃

Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

דּוֹר אָבִיו יְקַלֵּל וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ לֹא יְבָרֵֽךְ׃

There is a generation that curse their father, And do not bless their mother.

דּוֹר טָהוֹר בְּעֵינָיו וּמִצֹּאָתוֹ לֹא רֻחָֽץ׃

There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And yet are not washed from their filthiness.

דּוֹר מָה־רָמוּ עֵינָיו וְעַפְעַפָּיו יִנָּשֵֽׂאוּ׃

There is a generation, Oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.

דּוֹר חֲרָבוֹת שִׁנָּיו וּמַאֲכָלוֹת מְתַלְּעֹתָיו לֶאֱכֹל עֲנִיִּים מֵאֶרֶץ וְאֶבְיוֹנִים מֵאָדָֽם׃

There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their great teeth as knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

לַעֲלוּקָה שְׁתֵּי בָנוֹת הַב הַב שָׁלוֹשׁ הֵנָּה לֹא תִשְׂבַּעְנָה אַרְבַּע לֹא־אָמְרוּ הֽוֹן׃

The horseleech hath two daughters: ‘Give, give.’ There are three things that are never satisfied, Yea, four that say not: ‘Enough’:

שְׁאוֹל וְעֹצֶר רָחַם אֶרֶץ לֹא־שָׂבְעָה מַּיִם וְאֵשׁ לֹא־אָמְרָה הֽוֹן׃

The grave; and the barren womb; The earth that is not satisfied with water; And the fire that saith not: ‘Enough.’

עַיִן תִּלְעַג לְאָב וְתָבוּז לִיקֲּהַת־אֵם יִקְּרוּהָ עֹרְבֵי־נַחַל וְיֹאכְלוּהָ בְנֵי־נָֽשֶׁר׃

The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young vultures shall eat it.

שְׁלֹשָׁה הֵמָּה נִפְלְאוּ מִמֶּנִּי וְאַרְבָּעָה לֹא יְדַעְתִּֽים׃

There are three things which are too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I know not:

דֶּרֶךְ הַנֶּשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם דֶּרֶךְ נָחָשׁ עֲלֵי צוּר דֶּרֶךְ־אֳנִיָּה בְלֶב־יָם וְדֶרֶךְ גֶּבֶר בְּעַלְמָֽה׃

The way of an eagle in the air; The way of a serpent upon a rock; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea; And the way of a man with a young woman.

כֵּן דֶּרֶךְ אִשָּׁה מְנָאָפֶת אָכְלָה וּמָחֲתָה פִיהָ וְאָמְרָה לֹא־פָעַלְתִּי אָֽוֶן׃

So is the way of an adulterous woman; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith: ‘I have done no wickedness.’

תַּחַת שָׁלוֹשׁ רָגְזָה אֶרֶץ וְתַחַת אַרְבַּע לֹא־תוּכַל שְׂאֵֽת׃

For three things the earth doth quake, And for four it cannot endure:

תַּחַת־עֶבֶד כִּי יִמְלוֹךְ וְנָבָל כִּי יִֽשְׂבַּֽע־לָֽחֶם׃

For a servant when he reigneth; And a churl when he is filled with food;

תַּחַת שְׂנוּאָה כִּי תִבָּעֵל וְשִׁפְחָה כִּי־תִירַשׁ גְּבִרְתָּֽהּ׃

For an odious woman when she is married; And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

אַרְבָּעָה הֵם קְטַנֵּי־אָרֶץ וְהֵמָּה חֲכָמִים מְחֻכָּמִֽים׃

There are four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise:

הַנְּמָלִים עַם לֹא־עָז וַיָּכִינוּ בַקַּיִץ לַחְמָֽם׃

The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their food in the summer;

שְׁפַנִּים עַם לֹא־עָצוּם וַיָּשִׂימוּ בַסֶּלַע בֵּיתָֽם׃

The rock-badgers are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the crags;

מֶלֶךְ אֵין לָאַרְבֶּה וַיֵּצֵא חֹצֵץ כֻּלּֽוֹ׃

The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands;

שְׂמָמִית בְּיָדַיִם תְּתַפֵּשׂ וְהִיא בְּהֵיכְלֵי מֶֽלֶךְ׃

The spider thou canst take with the hands, Yet is she in kings’palaces.

שְׁלֹשָׁה הֵמָּה מֵיטִיבֵי צָעַד וְאַרְבָּעָה מֵיטִבֵי לָֽכֶת׃

There are three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going:

לַיִשׁ גִּבּוֹר בַּבְּהֵמָה וְלֹא־יָשׁוּב מִפְּנֵי־כֹֽל׃

The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any;

זַרְזִיר מָתְנַיִם אוֹ־תָיִשׁ וּמֶלֶךְ אַלְקוּם עִמּֽוֹ׃

The greyhound; the he-goat also; And the king, against whom there is no rising up.

אִם־נָבַלְתָּ בְהִתְנַשֵּׂא וְאִם־זַמּוֹתָ יָד לְפֶֽה׃

If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast planned devices, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.

כִּי מִיץ חָלָב יוֹצִיא חֶמְאָה וּמִיץ־אַף יוֹצִיא דָם וּמִיץ אַפַּיִם יוֹצִיא רִֽיב׃

For the churning of milk bringeth forth curd, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 30 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs
  • Proverbs is one of the Writings
  • 33 verses, 301 words, about 3 minutes to read

Proverbs has 31 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Proverbs·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Proverbs chapter 30 have?

Proverbs chapter 30 has 33 verses and 301 words.

How does Proverbs chapter 30 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words דברי אגור בן־יקה המשא.

Where does Proverbs chapter 30 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 30 of the 31 chapters of Proverbs, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Proverbs chapter 30?

About 3 minutes, at a steady pace.