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30:1  A discourse by the faithful collector. This is what this valiant man declared to the God with me, to the God with me, who then prevailed:
30:2  Surely I am beyond the senselessness of any man; I do not perceive things the way human beings do.
30:3  I never acquired wisdom, but I know what the Holy One knows.
30:4  Who has ascended to heaven, and then descended? Who has collected the wind in his hands? Who has wrapped up waters in a garment? Who has established all the farthest points of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!
30:5  Everything God says is pure; he is a shield for those who take refuge in him.
30:6  Don't add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be shown to be a liar.
30:7  God, I have asked you for two things— don't refuse me before I die—
30:8  Keep deception and lies far away from me, and give me neither poverty nor wealth. Feed me with food that I need for today,
30:9  so that I don't become overfed and deny you by saying, "Who is the LORD?" or so that I don't become poor and steal, and then misuse the name of my God.
30:10  Don't lie about a servant to his master, or that servant will curse you and you will pay for it.
30:11  Some people curse their fathers and won't bless their mothers.
30:12  Some people view themselves as pure, but haven't been cleansed from their own filth.
30:13  Some people —what an arrogant look they have!— raise their eyebrows haughtily.
30:14  Some people have swords for teeth and knives for fangs to devour the afflicted from the earth and the needy from among mankind.
30:15  The leech has two daughters: "Give" and "Give". Three things will never be satisfied; four will never say "Enough"—
30:16  The afterlife, the barren womb, earth that still demands water, and fire—they never say, "Enough".
30:17  The eye that mocks a father and looks with a disobedient attitude at a mother— the valley ravens will pluck it out; and vultures will eat it.
30:18  Three things cause wonder for me; four are beyond my understanding:
30:19  The way an eagle flies 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 young woman.
30:20  This is what an immoral woman is like: she eats, wipes her mouth, then says "I've done nothing wrong."
30:21  Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot remain steady:
30:22  Under a slave when he becomes a king, a fool when he is overfed,
30:23  an unloved woman when she finds a husband, and a servant girl who inherits from her mistress.
30:24  Four things on earth are small, but they are very, very wise:
30:25  Ants aren't a strong species, yet they prepare their food in the summer.
30:26  The rock badgers aren't a strong species either, yet they build their dens in the rocks.
30:27  Locusts have no king, but they all swarm in ranks.
30:28  Spiders can be caught by the hand, yet they're found in kings' palaces.
30:29  Three things are stately in procession, four which are stately in their gait:
30:30  The lion, mighty among the beasts, retreats before nothing.
30:31  The strutting rooster, as well as the goat, and a king with his army.
30:32  If you've foolishly exalted yourself or if you've plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.
30:33  Just as whipping milk produces butter, and twisting the nose causes bleeding, so also stirring up anger produces contention.