Proverbs

The Humility of the Wise

Lesson #12 for March 21,2015

Scriptures: [Proverbs 30; Luke 18:9-14; Job 38-40:2; 1 John 1:9; Revelation 3:14-22; Psalm 104:24][i].

1.    The first 24 chapters of Proverbs are believed to be composed of proverbs written by and/or put together by Solomon. Apparently, Proverbs 25-29 were Solomon’s proverbs, but they were later gathered together and added to the book of Proverbs by scholars in the days of Hezekiah. (See Proverbs 25:1ii.) The final two chapters of Proverbs were written entirely by other people! Who was Agur?

AGUR a’ger [Heb. ‘agur; Akk. agaru; Ugar. agr]. A contributor of proverbs, mentioned in Prov. 30:1, otherwise unknown. (The LXX and Vulgate renderings even suggest uncertainty that this is a proper name. —Bromiley, G. W. (Ed.). (1979-1988). Agur. In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 1, p. 75). Wm. B. Eerdmans. Cohen (Proverbs SonB, 200) cited a midrash that identified Agur as Solomon, the one who “stored up” (‘agar) wisdom and (nqh?) “spewed it out” (hiqqi—for Jakeh) by taking many wives. Another ancient view of the passage understood “Agur” allegorically, i.e., as a reference to Solomon and saw “Jakeh” as David. Apparently, the Vulgate translated ‘agur as a passive participle, hence, “the Assembler” (from ‘agur “to gather”), an appellative rather than a proper name. The LXX reads “fear (my words)” based on the Hebrew gur or tagur (BHS:1315), from gur (“to dread”).—Berry, D. K. (1992). Agur. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, p.100). New York: Doubleday.

2.    Whoever Agur was, he had a clear message about humility. Read Numbers 12:3iii. What is implied by the idea that Moses-the great leader, prophet, and champion of the children of Israel-was the meekest man who ever lived? When choosing a national leader, is one looking for meekness? At what point do you think Moses became meek? About 700 years after Moses and in a time of crisis, Micah wrote Micah 6:8, saying: “No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” (GNB) What does it mean “to live in humble fellowship with our God”? Does it mean a humble willingness to listen, learn, and serve?

3.    Jesus supported the same idea in Matthew 18:4, saying, “The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.” (GNB) The most important characteristic of a child is his capacity to grow in every way.

4.    So, is there anything about which we can rightfully boast? Read Jeremiah 9:23-24iv. It is impossible to find anything better to boast about than our God. He is the Creator, the Savior, and the Sustainer of all that is. (Acts 17:25,28[v])

“Every pulsation of the heart is a rebound from the touch of the finger of God.”—Review and Herald, December 2, 1890 paragraph 15. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that our best efforts are nothing more than filthy rags.

5.    Read Proverbs 30:1-3,32-3vi3. With all our limitations and dependencies, it is completely foolish to act arrogantly or to be proud. Imagine Lucifer being jealous and proud while being in God’s very presence in heaven! And look where it got him!

6.    It is important in understanding the message of this chapter to compare kingly messages from other ancient monarchs of the Near East. In their writings, there was never any mention of humility; there were no battles lost; they boast of their wisdom, achievements, and always of their military victories. Solomon himself is recorded as surpassing all the kings of the earth in “riches and wisdom.” (1 Kings 10:23, NKJV; Ecclesiastes 2:9)vii

7.    Read Daniel 4:30viii. Nebuchadnezzar II was another great example of one who thought he was very special. And look what happened to him! (Daniel 4:33-37)ix

8.    While we do not know who Agur was, he certainly recognized that boasting about our human condition is completely foolish. The Hebrew word for foolish is nabal, and we remember the story from 1 Samuel 25[x] of the foolish man with that name.

9.    As recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:18-33xi, Paul had some very incredible words to say to the church members who were boasting. What would there be left to say after a history like Paul's?

10.    Read Luke 18:9-14xii. Be honest about your own attitudes. Are we more like the Pharisee? Or, more like the tax collector? Are we proud that we are Seventh-day Adventists?

11.    We are born completely self-centered. A newborn baby thinks of nothing but his own needs. What does it take for us to recover from that attitude? Should we feel sorry for people who boast about themselves? Often, they have serious problems, and that is why they are boasting-to try to cover up those problems.

12.    If we truly get to know God, shouldn't that completely wipe out the possibility of our pride and boasting? It should, but the story of Lucifer should make us think about it very carefully.

13.    Think of the God who created the vast universe which we are just beginning to understand; and the God who created the universe sustains everything. It is His power that makes science possible. The laws which scientists use in performing their experiments are the laws written by God into the very nature of things.

14.    Read Proverbs 30:3-6xiii; compare Job 38-40:2xiv. If we even begin to understand the incredible complexity of our universe, we must bow in humility before the God who is able to do all of that. We do not even begin to have answers to some of the toughest of all scientific questions.

15.    A number of the world's most brilliant men spent years putting together the first nuclear weapons. By destroying a very tiny amount of mass and turning it into energy, they destroyed massive cities. But, imagine a God who can take His Own energy and compress it into matter. In other words, God can reverse a nuclear reaction!

16.    Read Proverbs 30:7-9xv. These verses contain the only prayer recorded in the book of Proverbs. It is a prayer that might be good for us to ponder frequently. Why does the prayer begin by asking God to keep us from lying? As human beings, are we prone to cheating and lying? Surely, we must recognize that it does no good to try to lie to God because He intimately knows all the facts already. He knows every detail of our thoughts, our motives, and our actions. Surely, if we recognize all of these facts, we should bow humbly before Him. (Lamentations 3:29)xvi

17.    Read [Proverbs 30:8 and Genesis 1:29]xvii. Even the Lord's prayer recorded in Matthew 6:9-13xviii emphasizes the point that without God's gifts we would not even have food. (Matthew 6:11xix) We need to thank God for our daily bread.

18.    It is one of the sins of the teenage years to question the wisdom of parents. Proverbs 30:11,17xx should be compared with [Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:2-3]xxi. The parents who give us life and care for us when we are totally helpless need to be respected. In fact, Exodus 21:15,17xxii tell us that the death penalty is appropriate for those who do not respect their parents.

19.    Read Proverbs 30:12,20xxiii. Do we sometimes do some very bad things and then pretend like they never happened? Is that why confession of sin is one of the first steps in our return to God?

20.    The Laodiceans lived in a very wealthy city. Laodicea had a medical school, banking and business, and two large theaters. Water was piped right into the city. That was amazing in ancient times. They produced a type of black wool that was famous in their day. But, God knew them very well, and He revealed to John that they needed something much better than what they had-God’s eyesalve, gold, and white raiment. See Revelation 3:14-18xxiv.

21.    Read Proverbs 30:13-14xxv. Have you ever felt contempt for someone who regarded himself as superior to you? It is not pretty! Do we ever treat others like that? Do any of us have the right to feel superior to any of God’s other children? Aren’t we all truly siblings?

22.    Read Proverbs 30:18-19. Agur mentioned just a few common things that are beyond our understanding. We still do not know why feathers work so well in helping birds to fly. We have a hard time explaining how some snakes can move so quickly across the ground. And perhaps, one of the greatest mysteries of all is how a man and a woman fall in love.

23.    Agur went on to mention ants, rock badgers, locusts, and lizards. (Proverbs 30:24-28xxvi) Who commands those creatures to behave as they do? Did God program them to do what they do? It is interesting that Agur used the same word to describe their behavior as Solomon used in Proverbs 3:13xxvii to describe human wisdom. And others used it to describe God’s wisdom in [Job 12:13 and Psalm 104:24]xxviii. Perhaps, one of the most important reasons why we say Solomon was wise was the fact that he recognized how ignorant we all are!

24.    If our one most important task in life is getting to know God, how should we feel about His revealed Word? When we pick up a Bible, how should we feel?

We should reverence God’s word. For the printed volume we should show respect, never putting it to common uses, or handling it carelessly. And never should Scripture be quoted in a jest, or paraphrased to point a witty saying. “Every word of God is pure”; “as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 12:6.—Ellen G. White, Education 244.1.

The Lord can do nothing toward the recovery of man until, convinced of his own weakness, and stripped of all self-sufficiency, he yields himself to the control of God. Then he can receive the gift that God is waiting to bestow. From the soul that feels his need, nothing is withheld. He has unrestricted access to Him in whom all fullness dwells.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages 300.1. [Bold type is added.]

25.    What does all this wisdom teach us about the plan of salvation? By looking to and following the example of Jesus Christ, we can be transformed. (Great Controversy 555.1xxix; 2 Corinthians 3:18xxx) We are totally incapable of making that transformation ourselves; we just allow God the time to do it in us as we study the Bible and pray.

26.    The Bible Study Guide for Friday, March 20 says: “We need a substitute, someone who legally stands in our place and whose righteousness alone is enough to make us right with God.” [Bold type is added.] In light of what we have studied in this lesson, what is the role of a substitute? Can Christ’s righteousness make us right with God? How does that work?

27.    God has designed our world so that it is a self-sustaining system. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Plants “breath in” carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. It is a marvelous system. And we could give many other examples of our interdependence.

28.    In light of what we have studied so far, do we adequately respect God’s divine wisdom and His creative power?

29.    Wouldn’t we benefit from spending more time in nature especially with our children to discover some of the many ways in which God has blessed us?

30.    We are told that God has two great books from which we are supposed to learn about Him: 1) The Bible and 2) The book of nature. Are we making adequate use of both?

31.    How does the theory of evolution strike right at the root of our relationship with God? Could we believe in evolution and still correctly worship God on the Sabbath? Does a correct understanding of creation as depicted in Genesis 1&2xxxi help us to more correctly worship God on the Sabbath? Would our children be better off if they spent more time in nature?

32.    How different would our world be if everyone believed the lessons taught in Proverbs 30? What if everyone did an honest day’s work and no one made any attempt to steal from another person. How different would society be if we all followed God’s guidance in choosing spouses and then remained faithful to them?

33.    How does a personal knowledge of God impact your human wisdom?

34.    In light of this chapter, could you spell out in more detail what it means when it said earlier in [Job 28:28, Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10]xxxii that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? If we believe that God is the only true Source of wisdom and that He is willing to share that wisdom as we study His Word, shouldn’t we hold the Bible in great respect? Does reverence for God begin with acknowledging His creatorship? Wasn’t God’s love expressed preeminently in His creation as well as in salvation?

35.    There are not many direct statements about God in the Bible. 1 John 4:8,16xxxiii tell us that God is love. What other attributes do we know about God?

The Bible does not say God is forgiveness, even though he is forgiving; or that God is knowledge, even though he is all-knowing; or that God is power, even though he is all-powerful. All other attributes are, like facets on a diamond, radiant windows into the heart of God.—Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2013), p. 22.

36.    Read Ecclesiastes 7:29xxxiv. If those words were true in Solomon’s day, how much more are they true in our day?

37.    So, what should we have learned from Proverbs 30xxxv? How many of the common social skills are addressed in this chapter? Why does there seem to be less and less reverence for God’s truth? People who are misled by human perversions of the truth are described in this chapter as “‘simple’ or ‘fools’. . . as gullible, irresponsible, empty-headed, inexperienced, drifting into temptation, and as not accepting discipline, rebuke, or correction.” Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Proverbs, p. 146.

38.    One of the best ways to learn about God is a careful study of nature. There are many wonderful things that human beings have discovered about God’s creation. Solomon even suggested that we should “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.” (Proverbs 6:6xxxvi, NKJV) If there are important lessons we can learn from the ant, what about the multitude of other creatures that we can study?

The intelligence displayed by many dumb animals approaches so closely to human intelligence that it is a mystery. . . .What man with a human heart, who has ever cared for domestic animals, could look into their eyes, so full of confidence and affection, and willingly give them over to the butcher’s knife? How could he devour their flesh as a sweet morsel?—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, pp. 315.3-316.1.

39.    How much better off would our children be if they spent more time in nature instead of spending time with their noses glued to an electronic device?

40.    Living this far from the tree of life, we are shriveled-up pygmies compared to Adam and Eve. And yet, God has promised us marvelous things. In fact, we could be the final generation that fully prepares itself for the second coming. Are we ready for that?

© 2015, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.    Info@Jheox.org

i-Proverbs 30:The Words of Agur

30 These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh:

“God is not with me, God is not with me,

and I am helpless.[a]

2 I am more like an animal than a human being;

I do not have the sense we humans should have.

3 I have never learned any wisdom,

and I know nothing at all about God.

4 Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge?

Have any ever caught the wind in their hands?

Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth?

Or fixed the boundaries of the earth?

Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?

5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”

More Proverbs

7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.

10 Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.

11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.

12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.

13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!

14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.

15 A leech has two daughters, and both are named “Give me!”

There are four things that are never satisfied:

16 the world of the dead,

a woman without children,

dry ground that needs rain,

and a fire burning out of control.

17 If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age,[b] you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.

18 There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:

19 an eagle flying in the sky,

a snake moving on a rock,

a ship finding its way over the sea,

and a man and a woman falling in love.

20 This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven't done anything wrong!”

21 There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:

22 a slave who becomes a king,

a fool who has all he wants to eat,

23 a hateful woman who gets married,

and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.

24 There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:

25 Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.

26 Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.

27 Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.

28 Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.

29 There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:

30 lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;

31 goats, strutting roosters,

and kings in front of their people.[c]

32 If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! 33 If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.

Luke 18:The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else. 10 “Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed,[a] ‘I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. 12 I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you,” said Jesus, “the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”

Job 38:Job 38-40:2Good News Translation (GNT)

The Lord Answers Job

38 Then out of the storm the LORD spoke to Job.

The LORD

2 Who are you to question my wisdom

with your ignorant, empty words?

3 Now stand up straight

and answer the questions I ask you.

4 Were you there when I made the world?

If you know so much, tell me about it.

5 Who decided how large it would be?

Who stretched the measuring line over it?

Do you know all the answers?

6 What holds up the pillars that support the earth?

Who laid the cornerstone of the world?

7 In the dawn of that day the stars sang together,

and the heavenly beings[a] shouted for joy.

8 Who closed the gates to hold back the sea[b]

when it burst from the womb of the earth?

9 It was I who covered the sea with clouds

and wrapped it in darkness.

10 I marked a boundary for the sea

and kept it behind bolted gates.

11 I told it, “So far and no farther!

Here your powerful waves must stop.”

12 Job, have you ever in all your life

commanded a day to dawn?

13 Have you ordered the dawn to seize the earth

and shake the wicked from their hiding places?

14 Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out

like the folds of a garment,

clear as the imprint of a seal on clay.

15 The light of day is too bright for the wicked

and restrains them from doing violence.

16 Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?

Have you walked on the floor of the ocean?

17 Has anyone ever shown you the gates

that guard the dark world of the dead?

18 Have you any idea how big the world is?

Answer me if you know.

19 Do you know where the light comes from

or what the source of darkness is?

20 Can you show them how far to go,

or send them back again?

21 I am sure you can, because you're so old

and were there when the world was made!

22 Have you ever visited the storerooms,

where I keep the snow and the hail?

23 I keep them ready for times of trouble,

for days of battle and war.

24 Have you been to the place where the sun comes up,

or the place from which the east wind blows?

25 Who dug a channel for the pouring rain

and cleared the way for the thunderstorm?

26 Who makes rain fall where no one lives?

27 Who waters the dry and thirsty land,

so that grass springs up?

28 Does either the rain or the dew have a father?

29 Who is the mother of the ice and the frost,

30     which turn the waters to stone

and freeze the face of the sea?

31 Can you tie the Pleiades together

or loosen the bonds that hold Orion?

32 Can you guide the stars season by season

and direct the Big and the Little Dipper?

33 Do you know the laws that govern the skies,

and can you make them apply to the earth?

34 Can you shout orders to the clouds

and make them drench you with rain?

35 And if you command the lightning to flash,

will it come to you and say, “At your service”?

36 Who tells the ibis[c] when the Nile will flood,

or who tells the rooster that rain will fall?[d]

37 Who is wise enough to count the clouds

and tilt them over to pour out the rain,

38     rain that hardens the dust into lumps?

39 Do you find food for lions to eat,

and satisfy hungry young lions

40     when they hide in their caves,

or lie in wait in their dens?

41 Who is it that feeds the ravens

when they wander about hungry,

when their young cry to me for food?

39 Do you know when mountain goats are born?

Have you watched wild deer give birth?

2 Do you know how long they carry their young?

Do you know the time for their birth?

3 Do you know when they will crouch down

and bring their young into the world?

4 In the wilds their young grow strong;

they go away and don't come back.

5 Who gave the wild donkeys their freedom?

Who turned them loose and let them roam?

6 I gave them the desert to be their home,

and let them live on the salt plains.

7 They keep far away from the noisy cities,

and no one can tame them and make them work.

8 The mountains are the pastures where they feed,

where they search for anything green to eat.

9 Will a wild ox work for you?

Is he willing to spend the night in your stable?

10 Can you hold one with a rope and make him plow?

Or make him pull a harrow in your fields?

11 Can you rely on his great strength

and expect him to do your heavy work?

12 Do you expect him to bring in your harvest

and gather the grain from your threshing place?

13 How fast the wings of an ostrich beat!

But no ostrich can fly like a stork.[e]

14 The ostrich leaves her eggs on the ground

for the heat in the soil to warm them.

15 She is unaware that a foot may crush them

or a wild animal break them.

16 She acts as if the eggs were not hers,

and is unconcerned that her efforts were wasted.

17 It was I who made her foolish

and did not give her wisdom.

18 But when she begins to run,[f]

she can laugh at any horse and rider.

19 Was it you, Job, who made horses so strong

and gave them their flowing manes?

20 Did you make them leap like locusts

and frighten people with their snorting?

21 They eagerly paw the ground in the valley;

they rush into battle with all their strength.

22 They do not know the meaning of fear,

and no sword can turn them back.

23 The weapons which their riders carry

rattle and flash in the sun.

24 Trembling with excitement, the horses race ahead;

when the trumpet blows, they can't stand still.

25 At each blast of the trumpet they snort;

they can smell a battle before they get near,

and they hear the officers shouting commands.

26 Does a hawk learn from you how to fly

when it spreads its wings toward the south?

27 Does an eagle wait for your command

to build its nest high in the mountains?

28 It makes its home on the highest rocks

and makes the sharp peaks its fortress.

29 From there it watches near and far

for something to kill and eat.

30 Around dead bodies the eagles gather,

and the young eagles drink the blood.

40 1-2 Job, you challenged Almighty God;

will you give up now, or will you answer?

1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

Revelation 3:The Message to Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

“This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin[a] of all that God has created. 15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich and well off; I have all I need.’ But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see. 19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. 21 To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne.

22 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!”

Psalm 104:24 LORD, you have made so many things!

How wisely you made them all!

The earth is filled with your creatures.

ii-Proverbs 25:25 Here are more of Solomon's proverbs, copied by scribes at the court of King Hezekiah of Judah.

iii-Numbers 12:(3 Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone else on earth.)

iv-Jeremiah 9:23 The LORD says,

“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength,

nor the rich of their wealth.

24 If any want to boast,

they should boast that they know and understand me,

because my love is constant,

and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me.

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

v-Acts 17:25 Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. 28 as someone has said, ‘In him we live and move and exist.’It is as some of your poets have said, ‘We too are his children.’

vi-Proverbs 30:30 These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh:

“God is not with me, God is not with me,

and I am helpless.[a]

2 I am more like an animal than a human being;

I do not have the sense we humans should have.

3 I have never learned any wisdom,

and I know nothing at all about God.

32 If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! 33 If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.

vii-1 Kings 10:23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 2:9 So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

viii-Daniel 4:30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

ix-Daniel 4:33 The words came true immediately. Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of human society and ate grass like an ox. The dew fell on his body, and his hair grew as long as eagle feathers and his nails as long as bird claws.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

34 “When the seven years had passed,” said the king, “I looked up at the sky, and my sanity returned. I praised the Supreme God and gave honor and glory to the one who lives forever.

“He will rule forever,

and his kingdom will last for all time.

35 He looks on the people of the earth as nothing;

angels in heaven and people on earth

are under his control.

No one can oppose his will

or question what he does.

36 “When my sanity returned, my honor, my majesty, and the glory of my kingdom were given back to me. My officials and my noblemen welcomed me, and I was given back my royal power with even greater honor than before.

37 “And now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honor, and glorify the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right and just, and he can humble anyone who acts proudly.”

x-1 Samuel 25:The Death of Samuel

25 Samuel died, and all the Israelites came together and mourned for him. Then they buried him at his home in Ramah.

David and Abigail

After this, David went to the wilderness of Paran. 2-3 There was a man of the clan of Caleb named Nabal, who was from the town of Maon, and who owned land near the town of Carmel. He was a very rich man, the owner of three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife Abigail was beautiful and intelligent, but he was a mean, bad-tempered man.

Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel, 4 and David, who was in the wilderness, heard about it, 5 so he sent ten young men with orders to go to Carmel, find Nabal, and give him his greetings. 6 He instructed them to say to Nabal: “David sends you greetings, my friend, with his best wishes for you, your family, and all that is yours. 7 He heard that you were shearing your sheep, and he wants you to know that your shepherds have been with us and we did not harm them. Nothing that belonged to them was stolen all the time they were at Carmel. 8 Just ask them, and they will tell you. We have come on a feast day, and David asks you to receive us kindly. Please give what you can to us your servants and to your dear friend David.”

9 David's men delivered this message to Nabal in David's name. Then they waited there, 10 and Nabal finally answered, “David? Who is he? I've never heard of him! The country is full of runaway slaves nowadays! 11 I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!”

12 David's men went back to him and told him what Nabal had said. 13 “Buckle on your swords!” he ordered, and they all did. David also buckled on his sword and left with about four hundred of his men, leaving two hundred behind with the supplies.

14 One of Nabal's servants said to Nabal's wife Abigail, “Have you heard? David sent some messengers from the wilderness with greetings for our master, but he insulted them. 15 Yet they were very good to us; they never bothered us, and all the time we were with them in the fields, nothing that belonged to us was stolen. 16 They protected us day and night the whole time we were with them looking after our flocks. 17 Please think this over and decide what to do. This could be disastrous for our master and all his family. He is so mean that he won't listen to anybody!”

18 Abigail quickly gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five roasted sheep, two bushels of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she said to the servants, “You go on ahead and I will follow you.” But she said nothing to her husband.

20 She was riding her donkey around a bend on a hillside when suddenly she met David and his men coming toward her. 21 David had been thinking, “Why did I ever protect that fellow's property out here in the wilderness? Not a thing that belonged to him was stolen, and this is how he pays me back for the help I gave him! 22 May God strike me[a] dead if I don't kill every last one of those men before morning!”

23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted and threw herself on the ground 24 at David's feet, and said to him, “Please, sir, listen to me! Let me take the blame. 25 Please, don't pay any attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing! He is exactly what his name means—a fool![b] I wasn't there when your servants arrived, sir. 26 It is the LORD who has kept you from taking revenge and killing your enemies. And now I swear to you by the living LORD that your enemies and all who want to harm you will be punished like Nabal. 27 Please, sir, accept this present I have brought you, and give it to your men. 28 Please forgive me, sir, for any wrong I have done. The LORD will make you king, and your descendants also, because you are fighting his battles; and you will not do anything evil[c] as long as you live. 29 If anyone should attack you and try to kill you, the LORD your God will keep you safe, as someone guards a precious treasure. As for your enemies, however, he will throw them away, as someone hurls stones with a sling. 30 And when the LORD has done all the good things he has promised you and has made you king of Israel, 31 then you will not have to feel regret or remorse, sir, for having killed without cause or for having taken your own revenge. And when the LORD has blessed you, sir, please do not forget me.”

32 David said to her, “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me! 33 Thank God for your good sense and for what you have done today in keeping me from the crime of murder and from taking my own revenge. 34 The LORD has kept me from harming you. But I swear by the living God of Israel that if you had not hurried to meet me, all of Nabal's men would have been dead by morning!” 35 Then David accepted what she had brought him and said to her, “Go back home and don't worry. I will do what you want.”

36 Abigail went back to Nabal, who was at home having a feast fit for a king. He was drunk and in a good mood, so she did not tell him anything until the next morning. 37 Then, after he had sobered up, she told him everything. He suffered a stroke and was completely paralyzed. 38 Some ten days later the LORD struck Nabal and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praise the LORD! He has taken revenge on Nabal for insulting me and has kept me his servant from doing wrong. The LORD has punished Nabal for his evil.”

Then David sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail. 40 His servants went to her at Carmel and said to her, “David sent us to take you to him to be his wife.”

41 Abigail bowed down to the ground and said, “I am his servant, ready to wash the feet of his servants.” 42 She rose quickly and mounted her donkey. Accompanied by her five maids, she went with David's servants and became his wife.

43 David had married Ahinoam from Jezreel, and now Abigail also became his wife. 44 Meanwhile, Saul had given his daughter Michal, who had been David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from the town of Gallim.

xi-2 Corinthians 11:18 But since there are so many who boast for merely human reasons, I will do the same. 19 You yourselves are so wise, and so you gladly tolerate fools! 20 You tolerate anyone who orders you around or takes advantage of you or traps you or looks down on you or slaps you in the face. 21 I am ashamed to admit that we were too timid to do those things!

But if anyone dares to boast about something—I am talking like a fool—I will be just as daring. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23 Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman—but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. 24 Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; 25 three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. 26 In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. 27 There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. 28 And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 When someone is weak, then I feel weak too; when someone is led into sin, I am filled with distress.

30 If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus—blessed be his name forever!—knows that I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas placed guards at the city gates to arrest me. 33 But I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.

xii-Luke 18:9 Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else. 10 “Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed,[a] ‘I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. 12 I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you,” said Jesus, “the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”

xiii-Proverbs 30:I have never learned any wisdom,

and I know nothing at all about God.

4 Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge?

Have any ever caught the wind in their hands?

Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth?

Or fixed the boundaries of the earth?

Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?

5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”

xiv-Job 38:38 Then out of the storm the LORD spoke to Job.

The LORD

2 Who are you to question my wisdom

with your ignorant, empty words?

3 Now stand up straight

and answer the questions I ask you.

4 Were you there when I made the world?

If you know so much, tell me about it.

5 Who decided how large it would be?

Who stretched the measuring line over it?

Do you know all the answers?

6 What holds up the pillars that support the earth?

Who laid the cornerstone of the world?

7 In the dawn of that day the stars sang together,

and the heavenly beings[a] shouted for joy.

8 Who closed the gates to hold back the sea[b]

when it burst from the womb of the earth?

9 It was I who covered the sea with clouds

and wrapped it in darkness.

10 I marked a boundary for the sea

and kept it behind bolted gates.

11 I told it, “So far and no farther!

Here your powerful waves must stop.”

12 Job, have you ever in all your life

commanded a day to dawn?

13 Have you ordered the dawn to seize the earth

and shake the wicked from their hiding places?

14 Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out

like the folds of a garment,

clear as the imprint of a seal on clay.

15 The light of day is too bright for the wicked

and restrains them from doing violence.

16 Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea?

Have you walked on the floor of the ocean?

17 Has anyone ever shown you the gates

that guard the dark world of the dead?

18 Have you any idea how big the world is?

Answer me if you know.

19 Do you know where the light comes from

or what the source of darkness is?

20 Can you show them how far to go,

or send them back again?

21 I am sure you can, because you're so old

and were there when the world was made!

22 Have you ever visited the storerooms,

where I keep the snow and the hail?

23 I keep them ready for times of trouble,

for days of battle and war.

24 Have you been to the place where the sun comes up,

or the place from which the east wind blows?

25 Who dug a channel for the pouring rain

and cleared the way for the thunderstorm?

26 Who makes rain fall where no one lives?

27 Who waters the dry and thirsty land,

so that grass springs up?

28 Does either the rain or the dew have a father?

29 Who is the mother of the ice and the frost,

30     which turn the waters to stone

and freeze the face of the sea?

31 Can you tie the Pleiades together

or loosen the bonds that hold Orion?

32 Can you guide the stars season by season

and direct the Big and the Little Dipper?

33 Do you know the laws that govern the skies,

and can you make them apply to the earth?

34 Can you shout orders to the clouds

and make them drench you with rain?

35 And if you command the lightning to flash,

will it come to you and say, “At your service”?

36 Who tells the ibis[c] when the Nile will flood,

or who tells the rooster that rain will fall?[d]

37 Who is wise enough to count the clouds

and tilt them over to pour out the rain,

38     rain that hardens the dust into lumps?

39 Do you find food for lions to eat,

and satisfy hungry young lions

40     when they hide in their caves,

or lie in wait in their dens?

41 Who is it that feeds the ravens

when they wander about hungry,

when their young cry to me for food?

39 Do you know when mountain goats are born?

Have you watched wild deer give birth?

2 Do you know how long they carry their young?

Do you know the time for their birth?

3 Do you know when they will crouch down

and bring their young into the world?

4 In the wilds their young grow strong;

they go away and don't come back.

5 Who gave the wild donkeys their freedom?

Who turned them loose and let them roam?

6 I gave them the desert to be their home,

and let them live on the salt plains.

7 They keep far away from the noisy cities,

and no one can tame them and make them work.

8 The mountains are the pastures where they feed,

where they search for anything green to eat.

9 Will a wild ox work for you?

Is he willing to spend the night in your stable?

10 Can you hold one with a rope and make him plow?

Or make him pull a harrow in your fields?

11 Can you rely on his great strength

and expect him to do your heavy work?

12 Do you expect him to bring in your harvest

and gather the grain from your threshing place?

13 How fast the wings of an ostrich beat!

But no ostrich can fly like a stork.[e]

14 The ostrich leaves her eggs on the ground

for the heat in the soil to warm them.

15 She is unaware that a foot may crush them

or a wild animal break them.

16 She acts as if the eggs were not hers,

and is unconcerned that her efforts were wasted.

17 It was I who made her foolish

and did not give her wisdom.

18 But when she begins to run,[f]

she can laugh at any horse and rider.

19 Was it you, Job, who made horses so strong

and gave them their flowing manes?

20 Did you make them leap like locusts

and frighten people with their snorting?

21 They eagerly paw the ground in the valley;

they rush into battle with all their strength.

22 They do not know the meaning of fear,

and no sword can turn them back.

23 The weapons which their riders carry

rattle and flash in the sun.

24 Trembling with excitement, the horses race ahead;

when the trumpet blows, they can't stand still.

25 At each blast of the trumpet they snort;

they can smell a battle before they get near,

and they hear the officers shouting commands.

26 Does a hawk learn from you how to fly

when it spreads its wings toward the south?

27 Does an eagle wait for your command

to build its nest high in the mountains?

28 It makes its home on the highest rocks

and makes the sharp peaks its fortress.

29 From there it watches near and far

for something to kill and eat.

30 Around dead bodies the eagles gather,

and the young eagles drink the blood.

40 1-2 Job, you challenged Almighty God;

will you give up now, or will you answer?

xv-Proverbs 30:7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.

xvi-Lamentations 3:29     We should bow in submission, for there may still be hope.

xvii-Proverbs 30:8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need.

Genesis 1:29 I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat;

xviii-Matthew 6:9 This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven:

May your holy name be honored;

10 may your Kingdom come;

may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need.

12 Forgive us the wrongs we have done,

as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.

13 Do not bring us to hard testing,

but keep us safe from the Evil One.’

xix-Matthew 6:11 Give us today the food we need.

xx-Proverbs 30:11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers. 17 If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.

xxi-Exodus 20:12 “Respect your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you.

Ephesians 6:2 “Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: 3 “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”

xxii-Exodus 21:15 “Whoever hits his father or his mother is to be put to death.

17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death.

xxiii-Proverbs 30:12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.

20 This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven't done anything wrong!”

xxiv-Revelation 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

“This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin[a] of all that God has created. 15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich and well off; I have all I need.’ But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see.

xxv-Proverbs 30:13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are! 14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.

xxvi-Proverbs 30:24 There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:

25 Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.

26 Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.

27 Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.

28 Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.

xxvii-Proverbs 3:13 Happy is anyone who becomes wise—who comes to have understanding.

xxviii-Job 12:12-13 Old people have wisdom,

but God has wisdom and power.

Old people have insight;

God has insight and power to act.

Psalm 104:24 LORD, you have made so many things!

How wisely you made them all!

The earth is filled with your creatures.

xxix-Great Controversy 555.1It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence. Man will never rise higher than his standard of purity or goodness or truth. If self is his loftiest ideal, he will never attain to anything more exalted. Rather, he will constantly sink lower and lower. The grace of God alone has power to exalt man. Left to himself, his course must inevitably be downward.{GC 555.1}

xxx-2 Corinthians 3:18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.

xxxi-Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, when God created the universe,[a] 2 the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God[b] was moving over the water. 3 Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared. 4 God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, 5 and he named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the first day.

6-7 Then God commanded, “Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places”—and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it. 8 He named the dome “Sky.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the second day.

9 Then God commanded, “Let the water below the sky come together in one place, so that the land will appear”—and it was done. 10 He named the land “Earth,” and the water which had come together he named “Sea.” And God was pleased with what he saw. 11 Then he commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”—and it was done. 12 So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw. 13 Evening passed and morning came—that was the third day.

14 Then God commanded, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals[c] begin; 15 they will shine in the sky to give light to the earth”—and it was done. 16 So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. 17 He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. 19 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fourth day.

20 Then God commanded, “Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw. 22 He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number. 23 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fifth day.

24 Then God commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small”—and it was done. 25 So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.

26 Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild,[d] large and small.” 27 So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, 28 blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. 29 I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; 30 but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food”—and it was done. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.

2 And so the whole universe was completed. 2 By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3 He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation[a] and stopped working. 4 And that is how the universe was created.

The Garden of Eden

When the LORD[b] God made the universe, 5 there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land; 6 but water would come up from beneath the surface and water the ground.

7 Then the LORD God took some soil from the ground and formed a man[c] out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.

8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed. 9 He made all kinds of beautiful trees grow there and produce good fruit. In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.[d]

10 A stream flowed in Eden and watered the garden; beyond Eden it divided into four rivers. 11 The first river is the Pishon; it flows around the country of Havilah. (12 Pure gold is found there and also rare perfume and precious stones.) 13 The second river is the Gihon; it flows around the country of Cush.[e] 14 The third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. 16 He told him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, 17 except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.[f] You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.” 19 So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names. 20 So the man named all the birds and all the animals; but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.

21 Then the LORD God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh. 22 He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. 23 Then the man said,

“At last, here is one of my own kind—

Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh.

‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.”[g]

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.

25 The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.

xxxii-Job 28:28 God said to us humans,

“To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord.

To understand, you must turn from evil.”

Psalms 111:10 The way to become wise is to honor the LORD;[a]

he gives sound judgment to all who obey his commands.

He is to be praised forever.

Proverbs 1:7 To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the LORD.[a] Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn.

Proverbs 9:10 To be wise you must first have reverence for the LORD. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding.

xxxiii-1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 16 And we ourselves know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them.

xxxiv-Ecclesiastes 7:29 This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.

xxxv-Proverbs 30:The Words of Agur

30 These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh:

“God is not with me, God is not with me,

and I am helpless.[a]

2 I am more like an animal than a human being;

I do not have the sense we humans should have.

3 I have never learned any wisdom,

and I know nothing at all about God.

4 Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge?

Have any ever caught the wind in their hands?

Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth?

Or fixed the boundaries of the earth?

Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?

5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”

More Proverbs

7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.

10 Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.

11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.

12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.

13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!

14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.

15 A leech has two daughters, and both are named “Give me!”

There are four things that are never satisfied:

16 the world of the dead,

a woman without children,

dry ground that needs rain,

and a fire burning out of control.

17 If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age,[b] you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.

18 There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:

19 an eagle flying in the sky,

a snake moving on a rock,

a ship finding its way over the sea,

and a man and a woman falling in love.

20 This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven't done anything wrong!”

21 There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:

22 a slave who becomes a king,

a fool who has all he wants to eat,

23 a hateful woman who gets married,

and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.

24 There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:

25 Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.

26 Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.

27 Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.

28 Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.

29 There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:

30 lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;

31 goats, strutting roosters,

and kings in front of their people.[c]

32 If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! 33 If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.

xxxvi-Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,

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