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22 He who finds a (A)wife finds a good thing
And (B)obtains favor from Yahweh.

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22 The man who finds a wife finds a good thing,
and he obtains favor from the Lord.

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14 House and wealth are an (A)inheritance from fathers,
But a wife who has insight is from Yahweh.

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14 Home and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
but a wife with good sense is from the Lord.

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18 (A)Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not [a]direct your soul to put him to death.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:18 Lit lift up

18 Discipline your son while there is hope.
Do not make yourself responsible for his death.

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A righteous man who (A)walks in his integrity—
(B)How blessed are his sons after him.

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A righteous person walks in his integrity.
How blessed are his children after him!

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[a](A)Train up a child [b]according to his way,
Even when he is old he will not [c]depart from it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:6 Lit Dedicate
  2. Proverbs 22:6 Or in the way he should go, according to his own way
  3. Proverbs 22:6 Lit turn away

Dedicate[a] a child to the way he should go,
and even when he becomes old, he will not turn away from it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:6 Or consecrate. The Hebrew word used here is not one of the usual words for teaching or training, but it is the same word used for dedicating a temple. It adds the connotation of entrusting the child to the Lord, as Hannah did.

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child;
The (A)rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

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15 Foolishness is bound tightly to a child’s heart.
A rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

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13 (A)Do not withhold discipline from the child,
Although you [a]strike him with the rod, he will not die.
14 You shall [b]strike him with the rod
And (B)deliver his soul from Sheol.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:13 Lit smite
  2. Proverbs 23:14 Lit smite

13 Do not withhold discipline from a child,
for if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 Strike him yourself with a rod,
and you will rescue his soul from death.

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11 (A)Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
That I may (B)respond with a word to him who reproaches me.

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11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart,
so that I may answer anyone who taunts me.

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A man who (A)loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who (B)befriends harlots destroys his wealth.

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A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but one who visits prostitutes destroys his wealth.

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15 The (A)rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child [a]left to himself (B)brings shame to his mother.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:15 Lit set loose

15 A rod used for discipline gives wisdom,
but an undisciplined child disgraces his mother.

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17 (A)Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;
And he will (B)give delight to your soul.

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17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest.
He will give delight to your soul.

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A Woman Who Fears Yahweh

Aleph

10 [a]An (A)excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far (B)above pearls.

Beth

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

Gimel

12 She deals bountifully with him for good and not evil
All the days of her life.

Daleth

13 She searches for wool and flax
And works with her [b]hands [c]in delight.

He

14 She is like (C)merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.

Vav

15 And she (D)rises while it is still night,
And (E)gives [d]food to her household
And a [e]portion to her young women.

Zayin

16 She makes plans for a field and buys it;
From the fruit of her [f]hands she plants a vineyard.

Heth

17 She (F)girds [g]herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.

Teth

18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.

Yodh

19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her [h]hands hold fast the spindle.

Kaph

20 She [i](G)extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

Lamedh

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are (H)clothed with scarlet.

Mem

22 She makes (I)coverings for herself;
Her clothing is (J)fine linen and (K)purple.

Nun

23 Her husband is known (L)in the gates,
When he sits with the elders of the land.

Samekh

24 She makes (M)linen garments and sells them,
And gives belts to the [j]tradesmen.

Ayin

25 Strength and (N)majesty are her clothing,
And she smiles at the [k]future.

Pe

26 She (O)opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the [l]instruction of lovingkindness is on her tongue.

Tsadhe

27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the (P)bread of [m]idleness.

Qoph

28 Her children rise up and bless her;
As for her husband, he also praises her, saying:

Resh

29 “Many daughters have done excellently,
But you have gone above them all.”

Shin

30 [n]Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who [o](Q)fears Yahweh, she shall be praised.

Tav

31 Give to her from the fruit of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:10 Lit a woman of excellence, a woman of strength
  2. Proverbs 31:13 Lit palms
  3. Proverbs 31:13 Or willingly
  4. Proverbs 31:15 Lit prey
  5. Proverbs 31:15 Or prescribed task
  6. Proverbs 31:16 Lit palms
  7. Proverbs 31:17 Lit her loins
  8. Proverbs 31:19 Lit palms
  9. Proverbs 31:20 Lit spreads out her palm
  10. Proverbs 31:24 Lit Canaanite
  11. Proverbs 31:25 Lit latter days
  12. Proverbs 31:26 Or law
  13. Proverbs 31:27 Lit being a sluggard
  14. Proverbs 31:30 Lit Gracefulness
  15. Proverbs 31:30 Or reverences

The Strong Wife[a]

10 Who can find a wife with strong character?[b]
Her value is greater than that of gems.
11 Her husband’s heart trusts her,
and he never lacks wealth.[c]
12 She does good for him and not evil
    all the days of her life.
13 She obtains wool and flax.
She eagerly works it with her hands.
14 She is like merchant ships.
She brings her food from far away.
15 She rises while it is still night.
She gives food[d] to her household.
She gives their share to her female servants.
16 She considers a field and acquires it.
From her own income,[e] she plants a vineyard.
17 She wraps strength around her waist like a belt,
and she makes her arms strong.
18 She realizes that she makes a good profit.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands for the distaff,
and the palms of her hands grasp the spindle.[f]
20 She opens the palm of her hand to the oppressed,
and she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She does not fear for her household on account of snow,
because her entire household is clothed in scarlet clothing.[g]
22 She makes bedspreads for herself.
Fine linen and purple cloth are her clothing.
23 Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits with the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and she delivers belts to the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing,
and she laughs at the days to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and kind instruction is on her tongue.
27 She keeps a close eye on the conduct of her household,
and she does not eat bread that she did not work for.
28 Her children rise up and bless her.
Her husband rises up and praises her:
29 “Many daughters show strong character,
but you have surpassed all of them.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is vapor that vanishes,
but a woman who fears the Lord should be praised.
31 Give her credit for the fruit of her hands,
and let her accomplishments praise her in the city gates.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:10 This closing poem of the book is an alphabetic acrostic, which means successive verses begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This gives an impression of covering every aspect of the topic from A to Z.
  2. Proverbs 31:10 Literally a woman of strength. The Hebrew term for strength may refer to economic power, political power, military power, or strong character. Here the emphasis is on her economic contribution to the family, which is a reflection of her dedication to her family and her community.
  3. Proverbs 31:11 The Hebrew word translated wealth usually refers to loot or spoils of war, not to regular income. Perhaps it highlights her strenuous effort.
  4. Proverbs 31:15 The word translated food usually refers to prey torn by animals, not to food for humans.
  5. Proverbs 31:16 Literally the fruit of her hands
  6. Proverbs 31:19 Distaff and spindle are implements used in spinning thread or yarn.
  7. Proverbs 31:21 Or, with the ancient versions, double clothing