22 (A)He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

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22 He who finds a wife finds what is good(A)
    and receives favor from the Lord.(B)

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

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

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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.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

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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.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.(H)
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise(I) at the city gate.

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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.

(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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[a]Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; (A)for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit. See life

Enjoy life with your wife,(A) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot(B) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

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Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

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But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.

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18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; (A)I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

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18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”(A)

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15 Drink water from your own cistern,
And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
[a]Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice with (A)the wife of your youth.
19 (B)As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
And always be [b]enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by (C)an immoral woman,
And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

21 (D)For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He [c]ponders all his paths.
22 (E)His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 (F)He shall die for lack of instruction,
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:16 Channels
  2. Proverbs 5:19 Lit. intoxicated
  3. Proverbs 5:21 observes, lit. weighs

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
    your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
    never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(A) be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(B)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(C)
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

21 For your ways are in full view(D) of the Lord,
    and he examines(E) all your paths.(F)
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;(G)
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.(H)
23 For lack of discipline they will die,(I)
    led astray by their own great folly.(J)

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12 Jacob (A)fled to the country of Syria;
(B)Israel served for a spouse,
And for a wife he tended sheep.

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12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[a];(A)
    Israel served to get a wife,
    and to pay for her he tended sheep.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And (A)obtains favor from the Lord;

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35 For those who find me(A) find life(B)
    and receive favor from the Lord.(C)

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(A)And so find favor and [a]high esteem
In the sight of God and man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:4 Lit. good understanding

Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.(A)

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20 So Jacob (A)served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may (B)go in to her.”

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20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel,(A) but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.(B)

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.(C)

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67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he (A)took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac (B)was comforted after his mother’s death.

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67 Isaac brought her into the tent(A) of his mother Sarah,(B) and he married Rebekah.(C) So she became his wife, and he loved her;(D) and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.(E)

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