Proverbs 31
English Standard Version
The Words of King Lemuel
31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
2 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?
3 Do (C)not give your strength to women,
your ways to those (D)who destroy kings.
4 (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,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and (H)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to the one who (I)is perishing,
and wine to (J)those in bitter distress;[b]
7 (K)let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 (L)Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.[c]
9 Open your mouth, (M)judge righteously,
(N)defend the rights of (O)the poor and needy.
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 [d] (P)An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than (Q)jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She (R)seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She (S)rises while it is yet night
and (T)provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She (U)dresses herself[e] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She (V)opens her hand to (W)the poor
and reaches out her hands to (X)the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in (Y)scarlet.[f]
22 She makes (Z)bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is (AA)fine linen and (AB)purple.
23 Her husband is known in (AC)the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes (AD)linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 (AE)Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to 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 (AF)women have done (AG)excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 (AH)Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:2 Hebrew What, my son?
- Proverbs 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul
- Proverbs 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away
- Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
- Proverbs 31:17 Hebrew She girds her loins
- Proverbs 31:21 Or in double thickness
Proverbios 31
Reina Valera Actualizada
Palabras de Lemuel
31 Palabras de Lemuel, rey de Masá, que le enseñara su madre:
2 ¡Oh, hijo mío!
¡Oh, hijo de mi vientre!
¡Oh, hijo de mis votos!
3 No des a las mujeres tu fuerza
ni tus caminos a las que destruyen
a los reyes.
4 No es cosa de reyes, oh Lemuel,
no es cosa de reyes beber vino
ni de los magistrados el licor.
5 No sea que bebiendo olviden lo que
se ha decretado
y perviertan el derecho de todos los afligidos.
6 Den licor al que va a perecer,
y vino a los de ánimo amargado.
7 Beban y olvídense de su necesidad,
y no se acuerden más de su miseria.
8 Abre tu boca por el mudo
en el juicio de todos los desafortunados.
9 Abre tu boca, juzga con justicia
y defiende al pobre y al necesitado.
Elogio de la mujer virtuosa
10 [a]Mujer virtuosa, ¿quién la hallará? Porque su valor sobrepasa a las perlas.
11 Confía en ella el corazón de su marido, y no carecerá de ganancias.
12 Le recompensará con bien y no con mal
todos los días de su vida.
13 Busca lana y lino
y con gusto teje con sus manos.
14 Es como un barco mercante
que trae su pan de lejos.
15 Se levanta siendo aún de noche,
y da de comer a su familia
y su diaria ración a sus criadas.
16 Evalúa un campo y lo compra,
y con sus propias manos planta una viña.
17 Ciñe su cintura con firmeza
y esfuerza sus brazos.
18 Comprueba que le va bien en
el negocio,
y no se apaga su lámpara en la noche.
19 Su mano aplica a la rueca,
y sus dedos toman el huso.
20 Sus manos extiende al pobre
y tiende sus manos al necesitado.
21 No teme por su familia a causa
de la nieve
porque toda su familia está vestida
de ropa doble[b].
22 Tapices hace para sí,
y se viste de lino fino y púrpura.
23 Es conocido su marido en las puertas de la ciudad,
cuando se sienta con los ancianos del país.
24 Telas hace y las vende;
entrega cintas al mercader.
25 Fuerza y honor son su vestidura,
y se ríe de lo porvenir.
26 Su boca abre con sabiduría,
y la ley de la misericordia está
en su lengua.
27 Considera la marcha de su casa
y no come pan de ociosidad.
28 Se levantan sus hijos
y le llaman: “Bienaventurada”.
Y su marido también la alaba:
29 “Muchas mujeres han hecho el bien, pero tú sobrepasas a todas”.
30 Engañosa es la gracia y vana es
la hermosura;
la mujer que teme al SEÑOR, ella será alabada.
31 ¡Denle del fruto de sus manos,
y en las puertas de la ciudad alábenla sus hechos!
Footnotes
- Proverbios 31:10 Sigue un poema acróstico, comenzando cada versículo con las letras sucesivas del alfabeto hebreo.
- Proverbios 31:21 Según LXX y Vulgata; otra trad., ropa (de lana) escarlata.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Version Reina Valera Actualizada, Copyright © 2015 by Editorial Mundo Hispano