The Words of King Lemuel

31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

What are you doing, my son?[a] What are you doing, (A)son of my womb?
    What are you doing, (B)son of my vows?
Do (C)not give your strength to women,
    your ways to those (D)who destroy kings.
(E)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
    it is not for kings (F)to drink wine,
    or for rulers to take (G)strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
    and (H)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to the one who (I)is perishing,
    and wine to (J)those in bitter distress;[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:2 Hebrew What, my son?
  2. Proverbs 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul

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