16. Sheol, a barren womb, land that is not satisfied with water, and fire that never says, “Enough!”
17. The eye that mocks a father and scorns obeying a mother— will be pecked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by young vultures!
18. Three things are too amazing for me, four I do not understand:
19. the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the heart of the sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.
20. Such is the way of an adulteress: she eats, wipes her mouth and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”
21. Under three things the earth trembles, and under four it cannot bear up:
22. under a slave when he becomes a king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23. an unloved woman when she is married, and a handmaid when she displaces her mistress.
24. Four things on earth are small, yet they are exceedingly wise:
25. ants are creatures with little strength, yet they store up their food in summer;
26. coneys are creatures with little power, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27. locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks;
28. a lizard you can catch with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.