Proverbs 31
American Standard Version
31 [a]The words of king Lemuel; the [b]oracle which his mother taught him.
2 What, my son? and what, O son of my womb?
And what, O son of my vows?
3 Give not thy strength unto women,
Nor thy ways to [c]that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine;
Nor for princes [d]to say, Where is strong drink?
5 Lest they drink, and forget [e]the law,
And pervert the justice due to [f]any that is afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
And wine unto the bitter in soul:
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb,
In the cause of all such as are [g]left desolate.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously,
And minister justice to the poor and needy.
10 A worthy woman who can find?
For her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her,
And he shall have no lack of [h]gain.
12 She doeth him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool and flax,
And worketh [i]willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant-ships;
She bringeth her bread from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night,
And giveth food to her household,
And their [j]task to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it;
With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength,
And maketh strong her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable;
Her lamp goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the distaff,
And her [k]hands hold the spindle.
20 She stretcheth out her [l]hand to the poor;
Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household;
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh for herself [m]carpets of tapestry;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh linen garments and selleth them,
And delivereth girdles unto the [n]merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing;
And she laugheth at the time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
And the [o]law of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up, and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying:
29 Many daughters have done worthily,
But thou excellest them all.
30 Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain;
But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands;
And let her works praise her in the gates.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:1 Or, The words of Lemuel king of Massa, which etc. See 30:1 margin.
- Proverbs 31:1 Or, burden
- Proverbs 31:3 Or, as otherwise read, them that destroy
- Proverbs 31:4 Another reading is, to desire strong drink.
- Proverbs 31:5 Hebrew that which is decreed.
- Proverbs 31:5 Hebrew all the sons of affliction.
- Proverbs 31:8 Or, ready to pass away. Hebrew the sons of passing away.
- Proverbs 31:11 Hebrew spoil.
- Proverbs 31:13 Or, at the business of
- Proverbs 31:15 Or, portion
- Proverbs 31:19 Hebrew palms.
- Proverbs 31:20 Hebrew palm.
- Proverbs 31:22 Or, cushio
- Proverbs 31:24 Hebrew Canaanite.
- Proverbs 31:26 Or, teaching
Proverbs 31
Lexham English Bible
The Oracle of King Lemuel
31 The words of Lemuel, the king—an oracle
that his mother taught him:
2 What, my son? And what, my son in my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to the women,
and your ways to destroy kings.
4 It is not for the kings, O Lemuel;
drinking wine is not for the kings,
nor is strong drink for rulers.
5 Or else he will drink and forget what has been decreed,
and he will pervert the rights[a] of all the afflicted.[b]
6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress.[c]
7 He will drink and forget his poverty,
and his misery he will not remember any more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights[d] of all the needy.[e]
9 Open your mouth, judge righteousness,
and defend the poor and needy.
An Excellent Woman[f]
10 A woman[g] of excellence,[h] who will find?
For her worth is far more than precious jewels.
11 The heart of her husband[i] trusts in her,
and gain he will not lack.
12 She does him good, but not harm
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and she works with the diligence of her hands.[j]
14 She is like the ships of a merchant;
from far off she brings her food;[k]
15 And she arises while it is still night,
and gives food to her household,
and tasks to her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it,
from the fruit of her hand[l] she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds her waist in strength,
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good;
her lamp does not go out in the night.
19 Her hands she puts onto the distaff,[m]
and her palms hold a spindle.
20 Her palm she opens to the poor,
and her hand she reaches out to the needy.
21 She does not fear for her house when it snows,
for her entire household[n] is clothed in crimson.
22 She makes for herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband[o] is known at the gates,
in his seat among the elders of the land.
24 Linen garments she makes and sells,
and she supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the future.[p]
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and instruction of kindness is upon her tongue.
27 She looks after the ways of her household,
and the bread of idleness she will not eat.
28 Her children rise and consider her happy,
her husband[q] also, and he praises her;
29 “Many daughters have done excellence,[r]
but you surpass[s] all of them.”
30 Charm[t] is deceit and beauty[u] is vain;[v]
but a woman who fears Yahweh shall be praised.
31 Give to her from the fruit of her hand,
and may they praise her works in the city gates.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:5 Hebrew “right”
- Proverbs 31:5 Literally “sons of affliction”
- Proverbs 31:6 Literally “to bitterness of soul”
- Proverbs 31:8 Hebrew “right”
- Proverbs 31:8 Literally “the sons of the needy”
- Proverbs 31:10 Prov 31:10–31 is an acrostic poem
- Proverbs 31:10 Or “wife”
- Proverbs 31:10 Or “strength,” or “valor,” or “ability,” or “efficiency”
- Proverbs 31:11 Or “lord”
- Proverbs 31:13 Literally “her palms”
- Proverbs 31:14 Or “bread”
- Proverbs 31:16 Literally “her palm”
- Proverbs 31:19 A stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound in preparation for spinning
- Proverbs 31:21 Literally “all her house, household”
- Proverbs 31:23 Or “lord”
- Proverbs 31:25 Literally “to the day/time coming after”
- Proverbs 31:28 Or “lord”
- Proverbs 31:29 Or “strength,” or “valor,” or “ability,” or “efficiency”
- Proverbs 31:29 Literally “you ascend over”
- Proverbs 31:30 Hebrew “The charm”
- Proverbs 31:30 Hebrew “the beauty”
- Proverbs 31:30 Or “vapor,” or “emptiness,” or “breath”
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