CINXE.COM
Proverbs 31 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
<!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=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Proverbs 31 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../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" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/proverbs/31-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > Proverbs 31</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a 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 class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Teaching of King Lemuel’s Mother</span></h3><p class="chapter-2"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:</span></p> <div class="poetry top-1"><p class="line"><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>No, my son! No, son of my womb!</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">No, son of my vows!</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>Do not give your strength to women,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">your ways to those who destroy kings.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>It is not for kings, O Lemuel,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">it is not for kings to drink wine,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">or for rulers to desire<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-19359a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> strong drink;</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>or else they will drink and forget what has been decreed,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>Give strong drink to one who is perishing,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and wine to those in bitter distress;</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>let them drink and forget their poverty,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and remember their misery no more.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>Speak out for those who cannot speak,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">for the rights of all the destitute.<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-19363b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span></span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>Speak out, judge righteously,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">defend the rights of the poor and needy.</span></span></p></div> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Ode to a Capable Wife</span></h3><div class="poetry"><p class="line"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>A capable wife who can find?</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">She is far more precious than jewels.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>The heart of her husband trusts in her,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and he will have no lack of gain.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>She does him good, and not harm,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">all the days of her life.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>She seeks wool and flax,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and works with willing hands.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>She is like the ships of the merchant,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">she brings her food from far away.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>She rises while it is still night</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and provides food for her household</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and tasks for her servant-girls.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>She considers a field and buys it;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>She girds herself with strength,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and makes her arms strong.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">Her lamp does not go out at night.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>She puts her hands to the distaff,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and her hands hold the spindle.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>She opens her hand to the poor,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and reaches out her hands to the needy.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>She is not afraid for her household when it snows,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">for all her household are clothed in crimson.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>She makes herself coverings;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">her clothing is fine linen and purple.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>Her husband is known in the city gates,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">taking his seat among the elders of the land.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>She makes linen garments and sells them;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">she supplies the merchant with sashes.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>Strength and dignity are her clothing,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and she laughs at the time to come.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>She opens her mouth with wisdom,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>She looks well to the ways of her household,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and does not eat the bread of idleness.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>Her children rise up and call her happy;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">her husband too, and he praises her:</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>“Many women have done excellently,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">but you surpass them all.”</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">but a woman who fears the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> is to be praised.</span></span><br /><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text">and let her works praise her in the city gates.</span></span></p></div> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Proverbs 31:4">Proverbs 31:4</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Cn: Heb <i>where</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Proverbs 31:8">Proverbs 31:8</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>all children of passing away</i></span></li></ol></div> <!--end of footnotes--></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../proverbs/30.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Proverbs 30"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Proverbs 30" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../ecclesiastes/1.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ecclesiastes 1"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ecclesiastes 1" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>