31 *The words of king aLemuel, bthe prophecy that his mother taught him.

2  What, my cson? and what, dthe cson of my womb?

And what, ethe cson of my vows?

3  fGive not thy strength unto women,

Nor thy ways gto that which destroyeth kings.

4  hIt is not for kings, O aLemuel, it is not for kings ito drink wine;

Nor for kprinces strong drink:

5  Lest they drink, and forget the law,

And †pervert the judgment †of any of the afflicted.

6  lGive strong drink unto him that is mready to perish,

And wine unto those that be †of heavy hearts.

7  Let him drink, and forget his poverty,

And remember his misery no more.

8  nOpen thy mouth for the dumb

In the cause of all †such as are appointed to destruction.

9  Open thy mouth, ojudge righteously,

And npplead the cause of the qpoor and needy.

10  rWho can find sa virtuous woman?

For ther price is far above urubies.

11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,

So that he shall have no need of spoil.

12  She will do him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

13  She xseeketh wool, and flax,

And worketh willingly with her hands.

14  She is like the merchants’ ships;

She bringeth her food from afar.

15  yShe riseth also while it is yet night,

And zgiveth meat to her household,

And aa portion to her maidens.

16  bShe considereth a field, and †buyeth it:

With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17  cShe girdeth her loins with qstrength,

And strengtheneth her arms.

18  †She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:

Her dcandle goeth not out by night.

19  She layeth her hands to the spindle,

And her hands hold the edistaff.

20  †She fstretcheth out her hand to the gpoor;

Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the gneedy.

21  She is not afraid of the snow for her household:

For all her household are clothed with ||hscarlet.

22  She maketh herself icoverings of tapestry;

Her clothing is ksilk and lpurple.

23  mHer husband is known nin the gates,

nWhen he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24  She maketh ofine linen, and selleth it;

And delivereth girdles unto the pmerchant.

25  qStrength and honour are her clothing;

And rshe shall rejoice in time to come.

26  She openeth her mouth with wisdom;

And in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27  She looketh well to the ways of her household,

And eateth not the bread of idleness.

28  Her children arise up, and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praiseth her.

29  Many daughters ||have done tvirtuously,

But thou excellest them all.

30  uFavour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:

But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

31  Give her of the fruit of her hands;

And let her own works praise her in the gates.

24 aBe not thou envious against evil men,

Neither desire to be bwith them.

2  cFor their heart studieth destruction,

And their lips talk of dmischief.

3  Through ewisdom is an house builded;

And by understanding it eis established:

4  And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled

With all precious and pleasant riches.

5  fA wise man †is strong;

Yea, a man of knowledge †increaseth strength.

6  For hby wise counsel thou shalt make thy war:

And iin multitude of counsellers there is safety.

7  kWisdom is ltoo high for a fool:

He openeth not his mouth min the gate.

8  He that ndeviseth to do evil

Shall be called oa mischievous person.

9  The pthought of foolishness is sin:

And the scorner is an abomination to men.

10  If thou faint in the day of adversity,

Thy strength is †small.

11  If thou forbear qto deliver them that are drawn unto death,

And those that are rready to be slain;

12  If thou sayest, sBehold, we knew it not;

Doth not he that tpondereth the heart consider it?

And he that ukeepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?

And shall not he render to every man waccording to his works?

13  My son, eat thou xyhoney, because it is good;

And the xyhoneycomb, which is sweet †to thy taste:

14  ySo shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul:

When thou hast found it, then zthere shall be a reward,

zAnd thy expectation shall not be cut off.

15  aLay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;

Spoil not his resting place:

16  bFor a just man falleth cseven times, and riseth up again:

But dthe wicked shall efall into mischief.

17  fRejoice not when thine enemy falleth,

And let not thine heart be glad when he estumbleth:

18  Lest the Lord see it, and †it displease him,

And he turn away his wrath from him.

19  g||Fret not thyself because of evil men,

Neither hbe thou envious at the wicked;

20  For there shall be no ireward to the evil man;

kThe ||candle of the wicked shall be put out.

21  My son, lfear thou the Lord and the king:

And meddle not with †them that are given to change:

22  For their calamity shall rise suddenly;

And llwho knoweth the mruin of nthem both?

23  These things also belong to the wise.

It is not good oto have respect of persons in judgment.

24  pHe that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous;

qHim shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:

25  But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,

And †a good blessing shall come upon them.

26  Every man shall kiss his lips

†That giveth a rright answer.

27  sPrepare thy work without,

And make it fit for thyself in the field;

And afterwards build thine house.

28  tBe not a witness against thy neighbour without cause;

And deceive not with thy lips.

29  uSay not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me:

I will render to the man according to his work.

30  xI went by the field of the slothful,

And by the vineyard of the man yvoid of understanding;

31  And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,

And znettles had covered the face thereof,

And the stone awall thereof was broken down.

32  Then I saw, and †considered it well:

I xlooked upon it, and received instruction.

33  bYet a little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep:

34  So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth;

And thy want as †an armed man.

25 *These are also aproverbs of Solomon, which bthe men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

2  It is the glory of God cto conceal a thing:

But the honour of kings is dto search out a matter.

3  The heaven for height, and the earth for depth,

And the heart of kings †is unsearchable.

4  eTake away fthe dross from the silver,

And there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

5  eTake away gthe wicked from before the king,

And hhis throne shall be established in righteousness.

6  †Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,

And istand not in the place of great men:

7  jFor better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither;

Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince

kWhom thine eyes have seen.

8  lGo not forth hastily to strive,

Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof,

When thy neighbour hath llput thee to shame.

9  mDebate thy cause with thy neighbour himself;

And ||discover not a secret to another:

10  Lest he that heareth it nput thee to shame,

And thine infamy turn not away.

11  oA word †fitly spoken

Is like papples of gold in qpictures of silver.

12  As ran earring of gold, and an sornament of tfine gold,

uSo is a wise reprover upon an xobedient ear.

13  As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,

So is ya faithful messenger to them that send him:

For he refresheth the soul of his masters.

14  zWhoso boasteth himself †of a false gift

Is like aclouds and wind without rain.

15  bBy clong forbearing is a dprince persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

16  eHast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee,

Lest thou be filled therewith, and fvomit it.

17  ||Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house;

Lest he be †weary of thee, and so hate thee.

18  A man that gbeareth false witness against his neighbour

Is a maul, and ha sword, and a isharp arrow.

19  Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble

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