Proverbs 31
31
Words of Lemuel
1The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
2What, my son? and what, the son of my womb?
And what, the son of my vows?
3Give not thy strength unto women,
Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine;
Nor for princes strong drink:
5Lest they drink, and forget the law,
And pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
And wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7Let him drink, and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.
8Open thy mouth for the dumb
In the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
9Open thy mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
The Good Wife
10Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her price is far above rubies.
11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,
So that he shall have no need of spoil.
12She will do him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13She seeketh wool, and flax,
And worketh willingly with her hands.
14She is like the merchants' ships;
She bringeth her food from afar.
15She riseth also while it is yet night,
And giveth meat to her household,
And a portion to her maidens.
16She considereth a field, and buyeth it:
With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17She girdeth her loins with strength,
And strengtheneth her arms.
18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:
Her candle goeth not out by night.
19She layeth her hands to the spindle,
And her hands hold the distaff.
20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor;
Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household:
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry;
Her clothing is silk and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it;
And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25Strength and honour are her clothing;
And she shall rejoice in time to come.
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
And in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27She looketh well to the ways of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29Many daughters have done virtuously,
But thou excellest them all.
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
But a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands;
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
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Proverbs 31: KJV
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Rights in the Authorized (King James) Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Published by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Learn More About King James VersionProverbs 31
31
Wise Words of King Lemuel
1These are the words of King Lemuel, the message his mother taught him:
2“My son, I gave birth to you.
You are the son I prayed for.
3Don’t waste your strength on women
or your time on those who ruin kings.
4“Kings should not drink wine, Lemuel,
and rulers should not desire beer.
5If they drink, they might forget the law
and keep the needy from getting their rights.
6Give beer to people who are dying
and wine to those who are sad.
7Let them drink and forget their need
and remember their misery no more.
8“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
defend the rights of all those who have nothing.
9Speak up and judge fairly,
and defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
The Good Wife
10It is hard to find a good wife,
because she is worth more than rubies.
11Her husband trusts her completely.
With her, he has everything he needs.
12She does him good and not harm
for as long as she lives.
13She looks for wool and flax
and likes to work with her hands.
14She is like a trader’s ship,
bringing food from far away.
15She gets up while it is still dark
and prepares food for her family
and feeds her servant girls.
16She inspects a field and buys it.
With money she earned, she plants a vineyard.
17She does her work with energy,
and her arms are strong.
18She knows that what she makes is good.
Her lamp burns late into the night.
19She makes thread with her hands
and weaves her own cloth.
20She welcomes the poor
and helps the needy.
21She does not worry about her family when it snows,
because they all have fine clothes to keep them warm.
22She makes coverings for herself;
her clothes are made of linen and other expensive material.
23Her husband is known at the city meetings,
where he makes decisions as one of the leaders of the land.
24She makes linen clothes and sells them
and provides belts to the merchants.
25She is strong and is respected by the people.
She looks forward to the future with joy.
26She speaks wise words
and teaches others to be kind.
27She watches over her family
and never wastes her time.
28Her children speak well of her.
Her husband also praises her,
29saying, “There are many fine women,
but you are better than all of them.”
30Charm can fool you, and beauty can trick you,
but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised.
31Give her the reward she has earned;
she should be praised in public for what she has done.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.