15 "The leech has two daughters.
'Give! Give!' they cry. |
16 the grave,2 30:16 Hebrew Sheol the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, 'Enough!' |
17 "The eye that mocks a father,
that scorns obedience to a mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
will be eaten by the vultures. |
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 maiden. |
20 "This is the way of an adulteress:
She eats and wipes her mouth
and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.' |
21 "Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot bear up: |
22 a servant who becomes king,
a fool who is full of food, |
23 an unloved woman who is married,
and a maidservant 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; |
26 coneys3 30:26 That is, the hyrax or rock badger are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags; |
27 locusts 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 with his army around him.4 30:31 Or king secure against revolt |
32 "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself,
or if you have planned evil,
clap your hand over your mouth! |
33 For as churning the milk produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife." |
