Proverbs 31
31
1Words of Lemuel a king, a declaration that his mother taught him:
2‘What, my son? and what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?
3Give not to women thy strength, And thy ways to wiping away of kings.
4Not for kings, O Lemuel, Not for kings, to drink wine, And for princes a desire of strong drink.
5Lest he drink, and forget the decree, And change the judgment of any of the sons of affliction.
6Give strong drink to the perishing, And wine to the bitter in soul,
7He drinketh, and forgetteth his poverty, And his misery he remembereth not again.
8Open thy mouth for the dumb, For the right of all sons of change.
9Open thy mouth, judge righteously, Both the cause of the poor and needy!’
10A woman of worth who doth find? Yea, far above rubies [is] her price.
11The heart of her husband hath trusted in her, And spoil he lacketh not.
12She hath done him good, and not evil, All days of her life.
13She hath sought wool and flax, And with delight she worketh [with] her hands.
14She hath been as ships of the merchant, From afar she bringeth in her bread.
15Yea, she riseth while yet night, And giveth food to her household, And a portion to her damsels.
16She hath considered a field, and taketh it, From the fruit of her hands she hath planted a vineyard.
17She hath girded with might her loins, And doth strengthen her arms.
18She hath perceived when her merchandise [is] good, Her lamp is not extinguished in the night.
19Her hands she hath sent forth on a spindle, And her hands have held a distaff.
20Her hand she hath spread forth to the poor, Yea, her hands she sent forth to the needy.
21She is not afraid of her household from snow, For all her household are clothed [with] scarlet.
22Ornamental coverings she hath made for herself, Silk and purple [are] her clothing.
23Known in the gates is her husband, In his sitting with elders of the land.
24Linen garments she hath made, and selleth, And a girdle she hath given to the merchant.
25Strength and honour [are] her clothing, And she rejoiceth at a latter day.
26Her mouth she hath opened in wisdom, And the law of kindness [is] on her tongue.
27She [is] watching the ways of her household, And bread of sloth she eateth not.
28Her sons have risen up, and pronounce her happy, Her husband, and he praiseth her,
29‘Many [are] the daughters who have done worthily, Thou hast gone up above them all.’
30The grace [is] false, and the beauty [is] vain, A woman fearing Jehovah, she may boast herself.
31Give ye to her of the fruit of her hands, And her works do praise her in the gates!
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Proverbs 31: YLT98
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Proverbs 31
31
The Sayings of King Lemuel
1These are the sayings of King Lemuel. His mother taught them to him. These sayings came from God.
2Listen, my son! Listen, my very own son!
Listen, you who are the answer to my prayers!
3Don’t waste your strength on women.
Don’t waste it on those who destroy kings.
4Lemuel, it isn’t good for kings to drink wine.
It isn’t good for rulers to long for beer.
5If they do, they might drink and forget what has been commanded.
They might take away the rights of all those who are treated badly.
6Let beer be for those who are dying.
Let wine be for those who are sad and troubled.
7Let them drink and forget how poor they are.
Let them forget their suffering.
8Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.
Speak up for the rights of all those who are poor.
9Speak up and judge fairly.
Speak up for the rights of those who are poor and needy.
The Excellent Woman
10Who can find an excellent woman?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11Her husband trusts her completely.
She gives him all the important things he needs.
12She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She chooses wool and flax.
She loves to work with her hands.
14She is like the ships of traders.
She brings her food from far away.
15She gets up while it is still night.
She provides food for her family.
She also gives some to her female servants.
16She considers a field and buys it.
She uses some of the money she earns to plant a vineyard.
17She gets ready to work hard.
Her arms are strong.
18She sees that her trading earns a lot of money.
Her lamp doesn’t go out at night.
19With one hand she holds the wool.
With the other she spins the thread.
20She opens her arms to those who are poor.
She reaches out her hands to those who are needy.
21When it snows, she’s not afraid for her family.
All of them are dressed in the finest clothes.
22She makes her own bed coverings.
She is dressed in fine linen and purple clothes.
23Her husband is respected at the city gate.
There he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen clothes and sells them.
She supplies belts to the traders.
25She puts on strength and honor as if they were her clothes.
She can laugh at the days that are coming.
26She speaks wisely.
She teaches faithfully.
27She watches over family matters.
She is busy all the time.
28Her children stand up and call her blessed.
Her husband also rises up, and he praises her.
29He says, “Many women do excellent things.
But you are better than all the others.”
30Charm can fool you. Beauty fades.
But a woman who has respect for the Lord should be praised.
31Give her honor for all that her hands have done.
Let everything she has done bring praise to her at the city gate.
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