Proverbs 30:15-31:9

English Standard Version

¹⁵ The leech has two daughters:
    Give and Give.^[a]
(A)Three things are never satisfied;
    ^(B)four never say, “Enough”:
^16 (C)Sheol, ^(D)the barren womb,
    the land never satisfied with water,
    and the fire that never says, “Enough.”

¹⁷ The eye that ^(E)mocks a father
    and ^(F)scorns to obey a mother
will ^(G)be picked out by ^(H)the ravens of the valley
    and eaten by the vultures.

^18 (I)Three things are ^(J)too wonderful for me;
    ^(K)four I do not understand:
¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky,
    the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
    and the way of a man with a virgin.

²⁰ This is the way of an adulteress:
    she eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, “I have done no wrong.”

²¹ Under ^(L)three things ^(M)the earth trembles;
    under ^(N)four it cannot bear up:
^22 (O)a slave when he becomes king,
    and a fool when he is ^(P)filled with food;
^23 (Q)an unloved woman when she ^(R)gets a husband,
    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

^24 (S)Four things on earth are small,
    but they are exceedingly wise:
^25 (T)the ants are a people not strong,
    yet they provide their food in the summer;
^26 (U)the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
²⁷ the locusts have no ^(V)king,
    yet all of them march in ^(W)rank;
²⁸ the lizard you can take in your hands,
    yet it is in kings' palaces.

^29 (X)Three things are stately in their tread;
    ^(Y)four are stately in their stride:
³⁰ the lion, which is mightiest among beasts
    and ^(Z)does not turn back before any;
³¹ the ^(AA)strutting rooster,^[b] the he-goat,
    and a king whose army is with him.^[c]

³² If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
    or if you have been devising evil,
    ^(AB)put your hand on your mouth.
³³ For pressing milk produces curds,
    pressing the nose produces blood,
    and pressing anger produces strife.

² What are you doing, my son?^[d] What are you doing, ^(AC)son of my womb?
    What are you doing, ^(AD)son of my vows?
³ Do ^(AE)not give your strength to women,
    your ways to those ^(AF)who destroy kings.
^4 (AG)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
    it is not for kings ^(AH)to drink wine,
    or for rulers to take ^(AI)strong drink,
⁵ lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
    and ^(AJ)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
⁶ Give strong drink to the one who ^(AK)is perishing,
    and wine to ^(AL)those in bitter distress;^[e]
7 (AM)let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.
^8 (AN)Open your mouth for the mute,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.^[f]
9 Open your mouth, ^(AO)judge righteously,
    ^(AP)defend the rights of ^(AQ)the poor and needy.