Proverbs

¹ No God!—I can do anything I want!

² so-called human intelligence escapes me.

³ I see no evidence of a holy God.

⁴ climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now—tell me!"

⁵ he protects everyone who runs to him for help.

⁶ he might take you to task and show up your lies."

⁷ before I die; don't refuse me—

⁸ and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.

⁹ saying, 'God? Who needs him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God."

¹⁰ behind their backs; They'll accuse you of being underhanded, and then you'll be the guilty one!

¹¹ or fail to bless your mother.

¹² when you haven't had a bath in weeks.

¹³ and think you're better than everyone else.

¹⁴ merciless and cruel as wolves, Tearing into the poor and feasting on them, shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.

¹⁵ named "Gimme" and "Gimme more." Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, "That's enough, thank you!"—

¹⁶ a barren womb, a parched land, a forest fire.

¹⁷ and despises a mother— that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures and consumed by young eagles.

¹⁸ no, four things I'll never understand—

¹⁹ how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do.

²⁰ she has sex with her client, Takes a bath, then asks, "Who's next?"

²¹ yes, four things shake its foundations—

²² when a fool gets rich,

²³ when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife.

²⁴ wisest of the wise they are—

²⁵ get plenty of food in for the winter;

²⁶ manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;

²⁷ yet they strip the field like an army regiment;

²⁸ but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

²⁹ four that are impressive in their bearing—

³⁰ a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;

³¹ a billy goat; a head of state in stately procession.

³² by offending people and making rude gestures,

³³ Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights.