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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Proverbs 31</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/bsb/spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/proverbs/31.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" 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href="../proverbs/30.htm" title="Proverbs 30">◄</a> Proverbs 31 <a href="../ecclesiastes/1.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 1">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div align="center" id="jump2"><a href="/niv/proverbs/31.htm">NIV</a> • <a href="/nlt/proverbs/31.htm">NLT</a> • <a href="/esv/proverbs/31.htm">ESV</a> • <a href="/kjv/proverbs/31.htm">KJV</a> • <a href="/nkjv/proverbs/31.htm">NKJ</a> • <a href="/nasb/proverbs/31.htm">NAS</a></div><br /><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="1%" valign="top">BSB</td><td width="99%" valign="top" align="right"><a href="/parallel/proverbs/31.htm" style="font-weight:normal" title="Parallel Chapters">Parallel Chapters ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><A name="2"></a><p class="hdg">The Sayings for King Lemuel<p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>These are the words of King Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him: <A name="3"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>What shall I say,<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">a</a></span> O my son? <p class="indent2"> What, O son of my womb? <p class="indent2"> What, O son of my vows? <A name="4"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Do not spend your strength on women <p class="indent2"> or your vigor on those who ruin kings. <A name="5"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>It is not for kings, O Lemuel, <p class="indent2"> it is not for kings to drink wine, <p class="indent2"> or for rulers to crave strong drink, <A name="6"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>lest they drink and forget what is decreed, <p class="indent2"> depriving all the oppressed of justice. <A name="7"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Give strong drink to one who is perishing, <p class="indent2"> and wine to the bitter in soul. <A name="8"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Let him drink and forget his poverty, <p class="indent2"> and remember his misery no more. <A name="9"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Open your mouth for those with no voice, <p class="indent2"> for the cause of all the dispossessed. <A name="10"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Open your mouth, judge righteously, <p class="indent2"> and defend the cause of the poor and needy. <A name="11"></a><p class="hdg">The Virtues of a Noble Woman<p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>A wife<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">b</a></span> of noble character, who can find? <p class="indent2"> She is far more precious than rubies. <A name="12"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>The heart of her husband trusts in her, <p class="indent2">and he lacks nothing of value. <A name="13"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>She brings him good and not harm <p class="indent2"> all the days of her life. <A name="14"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>She selects wool and flax <p class="indent2"> and works with eager hands. <A name="15"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>She is like the merchant ships, <p class="indent2"> bringing her food from afar. <A name="16"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>She rises while it is still night <p class="indent2"> to provide food for her household <p class="indent2"> and portions for her maidservants. <A name="17"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>She appraises a field and buys it; <p class="indent2"> from her earnings she plants a vineyard. <A name="18"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>She girds herself<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">c</a></span> with strength <p class="indent2"> and shows that her arms are strong. <A name="19"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>She sees that her gain is good, <p class="indent2"> and her lamp is not extinguished at night. <A name="20"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>She stretches out her hands to the distaff <p class="indent2"> and grasps the spindle with her fingers. <A name="21"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>She opens her arms to the poor <p class="indent2"> and reaches out her hands to the needy. <A name="22"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>When it snows, she has no fear for her household, <p class="indent2"> for they are all clothed in scarlet.<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">d</a></span> <A name="23"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>She makes coverings for her bed; <p class="indent2"> her clothing is fine linen and purple. <A name="24"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Her husband is known at the city gate, <p class="indent2"> where he sits among the elders of the land. <A name="25"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>She makes linen garments and sells them; <p class="indent2"> she delivers sashes to the merchants. <A name="26"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Strength and honor are her clothing, <p class="indent2"> and she can laugh at the days to come. <A name="27"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>She opens her mouth with wisdom, <p class="indent2"> and faithful instruction is on her tongue. <A name="28"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>She watches over the affairs of her household <p class="indent2"> and does not eat the bread of idleness. <A name="29"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Her children rise up and call her blessed; <p class="indent2"> her husband praises her as well: <A name="30"></a><p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>“Many daughters have done noble things, <p class="indent2"> but you surpass them all!” <A name="31"></a><p class="indent1stline"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, <p class="indent2"> but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. <p class="indent1"><span class="reftext"><a href="/proverbs/31-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Give her the fruit of her hands, <p class="indent2"> and let her works praise her at the gates.</p><A name="fn"></a><div id="fnlink"><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:</b><br><br><span class="fnverse">2</span> <span class="footnotesbot">a</span> Or <i>What</i><span class="thin"> </span> or <i>What are you doing</i><span class="thin"> </span><br><span class="fnverse">10</span> <span class="footnotesbot">b</span> Verses 10–31 are an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.<br><span class="fnverse">17</span> <span class="footnotesbot">c</span> Hebrew <i>She girds her loins</i><span class="thin"> </span><br><span class="fnverse">21</span> <span class="footnotesbot">d</span> Or <i>doubly clothed</i><span class="thin"> </span><br><br /></div><br /></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Berean Bible (<a href=http://berean.bible>www.Berean.Bible</a>) <a href=http://bereanbible.com>Berean Study Bible (BSB)</a> © 2016, 2020 by <a href=http://biblehub.com>Bible Hub</a> and <a href=http://berean.bible>Berean.Bible</a>. 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