Font Size
Proverbs 31
Wycliffe Bible
Proverbs 31
Wycliffe Bible
31 The words of Lemuel, the king; the vision by which his mother taught him.
2 What, my darling? what, the darling of my womb? what, the darling of my desires? (What, my darling? what is it, the darling of my womb? what is it, the answer to my prayers?)
3 Give thou not thy chattel to women (Give thou not all thy substance to women), and thy riches to do away kings.
4 A! Lemuel, do not thou give wine to kings; for no private there is, where drunkenness reigneth. (O! Lemuel, do not thou give wine to kings; for there is no secret place, where drunkenness can reign.)
5 Lest peradventure they drink, and forget dooms, and change the cause of the sons of a poor man. (Lest perhaps they drink, and forget justice, and pervert the cause of the poor.)
6 Give ye cider to them that mourn, and wine to them that be of bitter soul.
7 Drink they, and forget they their neediness; and think they no more on their sorrow.
8 Open thy mouth for a dumb man, and open thy mouth for the causes of all sons that pass forth. (Speak thou for the dumb, and for the causes of all those who pass forth before thee.)
9 Deem thou that that is just, and deem thou a needy man and a poor man. (Judge thou with judgement, or with discernment, and give thou justice to the needy and to the poor.)
10 Who shall find a strong woman? the price of her is far, and from the last ends. (Who shall find a woman of virtue? her value is far above anything else.)
11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her; and he shall not have need to robberies. (Her husband trusteth her in his heart; and he shall have no need for robbery, or for theft.)
12 She shall yield to him good, and not evil, in all the days of her life.
13 She sought wool and flax; and wrought by the counsel of her hands. (She sought out wool and flax; and skillfully worked them with her hands.)
14 She is made as the ship of a merchant (She is made like a merchant’s ship), that beareth his bread from [a]far.
15 And she rose by night, and gave lifelode to her menials, and meats to her handmaidens. (And she arose at night, and gave sustenance to her servants, and food to her servantesses.)
16 She beheld a field, and bought it; of the fruit of her hands she planted a vinery. (She saw a field, and bought it; and from the fruit of her hands, or out of her earnings, she planted a vineyard.)
17 She girded her loins with strength, and made strong her arm.
18 She tasted, and saw, that her merchandise was good; her lantern shall not be quenched in the night.
19 She put her hands to the wharve, and her fingers took the spindle.
20 She opened her hand to the needy man, and stretched forth her hands to a poor man. (She opened her hands to the needy, and stretched forth her hands to the poor.)
21 She shall not dread for her house of the colds of snow (She shall not have fear for her household concerning the cold and the snow); for all her menials be clothed with double clothes.
22 She made to her a ray-cloth; bis, either white silk, and purple is the cloth of her. (She made a ray-cloth for herself; bis, or white silk, and purple maketh her cloak.)
23 Her husband is noble in the gates, when he sitteth with the senators of [the] earth. (Her husband is well-regarded at the city gates, when he sitteth with the elders of the land.)
24 She made linen cloth, and sold it; and gave a girdle to a merchant.
25 Strength and fairness is the clothing of her; and she shall laugh in the last day. (Strength and beauty be her clothing; and she shall laugh at tomorrow/and she shall laugh on the last day, as she did on this day.)
26 She opened her mouth to wisdom; and the law of mercy is in her tongue. (She opened her mouth with wisdom; and the law of love, or of kindness, is upon her tongue.)
27 She beheld the paths of her house; and she ate not bread idly (and she did not eat the bread of idleness).
28 Her sons rose up, and preached her most blessed; her husband rose (up), and praised her.
29 Many daughters gathered riches; thou passedest all. (Many women have gathered in riches; but thou hast surpassed them all.)
30 Fairness is deceivable grace, and vain; that woman, that dreadeth the Lord, [she] shall be praised. (Beauty is deceptive, and will not last; but that woman, who feareth the Lord/who revereth the Lord, yea, she shall be praised.)
31 Give ye to her of the fruit of her hands; and her works praise her in the gates. (Give ye her credit for the fruit of her hands, or for all that she hath done; and may her works bring her praise at the city gates.)
Proverbs 31
New International Version
Proverbs 31
New International Version
Sayings of King Lemuel
31 The sayings(A) of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!(B)
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.(C)
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,(D)
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink(E) and forget what has been decreed,(F)
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine(G) for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink(H) and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 Speak(I) up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.(J)
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
10 [b]A wife of noble character(K) who can find?(L)
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband(M) has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.(N)
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.(O)
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.(P)
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(Q) 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.(R)
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(S) at the city gate.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
- Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.