Sayings of King Lemuel

31 The sayingss 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!t

3 Do not spend your strengtha on women,

your vigor on those who ruin kings.u

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—

it is not for kings to drink wine,v

not for rulers to crave beer,

5 lest they drinkw and forget what has been decreed,x

and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,

winey for those who are in anguish!

7 Let them drinkz and forget their poverty

and remember their misery no more.

8 Speaka 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.b

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10b A wife of noble characterc who can find?d

She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husbande has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.f

12 She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.g

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.h

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 eldersi 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.j

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 praisek at the city gate.

18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends

and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding

but delight in airing their own opinions.x

3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,

and with shame comes reproach.

4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,y

but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

5 It is not good to be partial to the wickedz

and so deprive the innocent of justice.a

6 The lips of fools bring them strife,

and their mouths invite a beating.b

7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,

and their lips are a snarec to their very lives.d

8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;

they go down to the inmost parts.e

9 One who is slack in his work

is brother to one who destroys.f

10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;g

the righteous run to it and are safe.h

11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;i

they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,

but humility comes before honor.j

13 To answer before listening—

that is folly and shame.k

14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,

but a crushed spirit who can bear?l

15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,m

for the ears of the wise seek it out.

16 A giftn opens the way

and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,

until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

18 Casting the lot settles disputeso

and keeps strong opponents apart.

19 A brother wrongedp is more unyielding than a fortified city;

disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;

with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.q

21 The tongue has the power of life and death,r

and those who love it will eat its fruit.s

22 He who finds a wife finds what is goodt

and receives favor from the Lord.u

23 The poor plead for mercy,

but the rich answer harshly.

24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.v

19 Better the poor whose walk is blameless

than a fool whose lips are perverse.w

2 Desire without knowledge is not good—

how much more will hasty feet miss the way!x

3 A person’s own follyy leads to their ruin,

yet their heart rages against the Lord.z

4 Wealth attracts many friends,

but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.a

5 A false witnessb will not go unpunished,c

and whoever pours out lies will not go free.d

6 Many curry favor with a ruler,e

and everyone is the friend of one who gives gifts.f

7 The poor are shunned by all their relatives—

how much more do their friends avoid them!g

Though the poor pursue them with pleading,

they are nowhere to be found.a h

8 The one who gets wisdom loves life;

the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.i

9 A false witness will not go unpunished,

and whoever pours out lies will perish.j

10 It is not fitting for a foolk to live in luxury—

how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!l

11 A person’s wisdom yields patience;m

it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

12 A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,n

but his favor is like dewo on the grass.p

13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin,q

and a quarrelsome wife is like

the constant dripping of a leaky roof.r

14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,s

but a prudent wife is from the Lord.t

15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,

and the shiftless go hungry.u

16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,

but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.v

17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,w

and he will reward them for what they have done.x

18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope;

do not be a willing party to their death.y

19 A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;

rescue them, and you will have to do it again.

20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,z

and at the end you will be counted among the wise.a

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.b

22 What a person desires is unfailing loveb;

better to be poor than a liar.

23 The fear of the Lord leads to life;

then one rests content, untouched by trouble.c

24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

he will not even bring it back to his mouth!d

25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence;

rebuke the discerning,e and they will gain knowledge.f

26 Whoever robs their father and drives out their motherg

is a child who brings shame and disgrace.

27 Stop listening to instruction, my son,h

and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,

and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.i

29 Penalties are prepared for mockers,

and beatings for the backs of fools.j