Proverbs 31

CHAPTER 31

A Mother’s Oracle

¹The words of King Lemuel, the ¹oracle unto which his mother disciplined him:

²What, O my son?

And what, O ^ason of my womb?

And what, O son of my ^bvows?

^3aDo not give your excellence to women,

Or your ways to that which ^bblots out kings.

⁴It is not for ^akings, O Lemuel,

It is not for kings to ^bdrink wine,

Or for rulers to desire strong drink,

⁵Lest he drink and forget what is decreed,

And ^apervert the justice of all the ¹afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink to him who is ^aperishing,

And wine to those ^bwhose soul is bitter.

⁷Let him drink and forget his poverty

And he will not remember his trouble any longer.

^8aOpen your mouth for the mute,

For the justice of all those ¹passing away.

⁹Open your mouth, ^ajudge righteously,

And render ^bjustice to the afflicted and needy.

A Woman Who Fears Yahweh

Aleph

¹⁰¹An ^aexcellent wife, who can find?

For her worth is far ^babove pearls.

Beth

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,

And he will have no lack of gain.

Gimel

¹²She deals bountifully with him for good and not evil

All the days of her life.

Daleth

¹³She searches for wool and flax

And works with her ¹hands ²in delight.

He

¹⁴She is like ^amerchant ships;

She brings her food from afar.

Vav

¹⁵And she ^arises while it is still night,

And ^bgives ¹food to her household

And a ²portion to her young women.

Zayin

¹⁶She makes plans for a field and buys it;

From the fruit of her ¹hands she plants a vineyard.

Heth

¹⁷She ^agirds ¹herself with strength

And makes her arms strong.

Teth

¹⁸She senses that her gain is good;

Her lamp does not go out at night.

Yodh

¹⁹She stretches out her hands to the distaff,

And her ¹hands hold fast the spindle.

Kaph

²⁰She ^1aextends her hand to the poor,

And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

Lamedh

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

For all her household are ^aclothed with scarlet.

Mem

²²She makes ^acoverings for herself;

Her clothing is ^bfine linen and ^cpurple.

Nun

²³Her husband is known ^ain the gates,

When he sits with the elders of the land.

Samekh

²⁴She makes ^alinen garments and sells them,

And gives belts to the ¹tradesmen.

Ayin

²⁵Strength and ^amajesty are her clothing,

And she smiles at the ¹future.

Pe

²⁶She ^aopens her mouth in wisdom,

And the ¹instruction of lovingkindness is on her tongue.

Tsadhe

²⁷She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the ^abread of ¹idleness.

Qoph

²⁸Her children rise up and bless her;

As for her husband, he also praises her, saying:

Resh

²⁹“Many daughters have done excellently,

But you have gone above them all.”

Shin

³⁰¹Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who ^2afears Yahweh, she shall be praised.

Tav

³¹Give to her from the fruit of her hands,

And let her works praise her in the gates.