(A)An[a] excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is (B)like rottenness in his bones.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:4 Lit. A wife of valor

A wife of noble character(A) is her husband’s crown,
    but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.(B)

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30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But (A)envy is (B)rottenness to the bones.

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30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.(A)

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11 Nevertheless, (A)neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.

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11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.

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The Virtuous Wife

10 (A)Who[a] can find a [b]virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 (B)She also rises while it is yet night,
And (C)provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [c]her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 (D)She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 (E)Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:10 Vv. 10–31 are an alphabetic acrostic in Hebrew; cf. Ps. 119
  2. Proverbs 31:10 Lit. a wife of valor, in the sense of all forms of excellence
  3. Proverbs 31:16 Lit. the fruit of her hands

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [a]A wife of noble character(A) who can find?(B)
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband(C) has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.(D)
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.(E)
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.(F)
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders(G) of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Ways of Life and Death

14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

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14 The wise woman builds her house,(A)
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

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For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since (A)he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

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A man ought not to cover his head,[a] since he is the image(A) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:7 Or Every man who prays or prophesies with long hair dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with no covering of hair dishonors her head—she is just like one of the “shorn women.” If a woman has no covering, let her be for now with short hair; but since it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair shorn or shaved, she should grow it again. A man ought not to have long hair

15 A (A)continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike;
16 Whoever [a]restrains her restrains the wind,
And grasps oil with his right hand.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:16 Lit. hides

15 A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping(A)
    of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind
    or grasping oil with the hand.

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19 Better to dwell [a]in the wilderness,
Than with a contentious and angry woman.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:19 Lit. in the land of the desert

19 Better to live in a desert
    than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.(A)

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Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with (A)a contentious woman.

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Better to live on a corner of the roof
    than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.(A)

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13 (A)A foolish son is the ruin of his father,
(B)And the contentions of a wife are a continual [a]dripping.

14 (C)Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But (D)a prudent wife is from the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:13 Irritation

13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,(A)
    and a quarrelsome wife is like
    the constant dripping of a leaky roof.(B)

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,(C)
    but a prudent wife is from the Lord.(D)

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16 When I heard, (A)my body trembled;
My lips quivered at the voice;
Rottenness entered my bones;
And I trembled in myself,
That I might rest in the day of trouble.
When he comes up to the people,
He will invade them with his troops.

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16 I heard and my heart pounded,
    my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
    and my legs trembled.(A)
Yet I will wait patiently(B) for the day of calamity
    to come on the nation invading us.

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