Proverbs 30:21-33 ▼

21 Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up:

22 a servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,

23 an unloved woman who marries, and a maidservant who supplants her mistress.

24 Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:

25 The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

26 the rock badgers are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;

27 the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in formation;

28 and the lizard can be caught in one’s hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.

29 There are three things that are stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their walk:

30 a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;

31 a strutting rooster; a he-goat; and a king with his army around him.

32 If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.

33 For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”