Proverbs 31
31
Sayings of King Lemuel
1The sayings of King Lemuel – an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
3Do not spend your strength#31:3 Or wealth on women,
your vigour on those who ruin kings.
4It is not for kings, Lemuel –
it is not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
5lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine for those who are in anguish!
7Let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Epilogue: the wife of noble character
10 # 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29‘Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.’
30Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31Honour her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
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Proverbs 31: NIVUK
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Proverbs 31
31
1These are the words of King Lemuel, an oracle, taught to him by his mother.
2What shall I tell you, my son?—the son I gave birth to, the son given in response to my vows.
3Don't waste your strength sleeping#31:3. “Sleeping” implied. with women, those that bring down kings.
4Lemuel, kings shouldn't be drinking wine, rulers shouldn't be drinking alcohol.#31:4. “Alcohol”: literally, “strong drink.”
5For if they drink, they'll forget what the law says, and pervert the rights of those who are suffering.
6Give alcohol to those who are dying, and wine to those who are in terrible distress.
7Let them drink so they can forget their poverty, and not remember their troubles any longer.
8Speak up for those who have no voice, for the rights of those marginalized by society.
9Speak up and judge fairly; defend the poor and destitute.
10Who can find a strong, capable wife? She's worth more than jewels!#31:10. “Jewels”: though often translated as “rubies,” it seems that they were not known at this time. The red jewels were likely to be carnelian or red coral.
11Her husband has complete confidence in her, and with her he'll never be poor.
12She brings him good, not evil, all her life.
13She gets wool and flax, and with her eager hands turns them into clothes.
14Like a merchant's ship, she brings food from far away.
15She gets up while it's still dark to make breakfast for her family, and to plan what her servant girls need to do.
16She looks at a field, and decides to buy it; from the money she's earned she buys a vineyard.
17She's keen to get ready, and works hard with her strong arms.
18She knows that the things she makes are valuable. She keeps busy—her lamp burns late into the night.
19She spins the thread and weaves the cloth.#31:19. The Hebrew refers to the distaff and spindle used in spinning and weaving, but not much known in modern life.
20She's generous to the poor, and gives help to the needy.
21She doesn't worry if it snows, because her whole family has warm#31:21. “Warm” following the implications of the Septuagint reading. Hebrew has “scarlet,” simply meaning expensive clothing. clothing.
22She makes herself bedspreads; she dresses in fine linen and purple clothes.
23Her husband is well-respected in the council at the town gates, where he sits with the town elders.
24She makes linen clothes for sale, and supplies merchants with belts.
25She's clothed with strength and dignity, and she is happy about the future.
26She speaks wise words, and she's kind when she gives instructions.
27She looks after the needs of her whole household, and she's never idle.
28Her children are quick to bless her. Her husband praises her too, saying,
29“Many women do great things, but you are better than all of them!”
30Charm can deceive, and beauty fades, but a woman who honors the Lord should be praised.
31Give her the recognition she deserves; praise her publicly for what she's done.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com