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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 NLT</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" 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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 class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/proverbs/31.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">The Sayings of King Lemuel</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> which his mother taught him.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>O my son, O son of my womb,</p><p class="line2">O son of my vows,</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>do not waste your strength on women,</p><p class="line2">on those who ruin kings.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.</p><p class="line2">Rulers should not crave alcohol.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>For if they drink, they may forget the law</p><p class="line2">and not give justice to the oppressed.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Alcohol is for the dying,</p><p class="line2">and wine for those in bitter distress.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Let them drink to forget their poverty</p><p class="line2">and remember their troubles no more.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;</p><p class="line2">ensure justice for those being crushed.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,</p><p class="line2">and see that they get justice.</p><p class="hdg">A Wife of Noble Character</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a>Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?</p><p class="line2">She is more precious than rubies.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Her husband can trust her,</p><p class="line2">and she will greatly enrich his life.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>She brings him good, not harm,</p><p class="line2">all the days of her life.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>She finds wool and flax</p><p class="line2">and busily spins it.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>She is like a merchant’s ship,</p><p class="line2">bringing her food from afar.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household</p><p class="line2">and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>She goes to inspect a field and buys it;</p><p class="line2">with her earnings she plants a vineyard.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>She is energetic and strong,</p><p class="line2">a hard worker.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>She makes sure her dealings are profitable;</p><p class="line2">her lamp burns late into the night.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Her hands are busy spinning thread,</p><p class="line2">her fingers twisting fiber.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>She extends a helping hand to the poor</p><p class="line2">and opens her arms to the needy.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>She has no fear of winter for her household,</p><p class="line2">for everyone has warm<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> clothes.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>She makes her own bedspreads.</p><p class="line2">She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Her husband is well known at the city gates,</p><p class="line2">where he sits with the other civic leaders.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>She makes belted linen garments</p><p class="line2">and sashes to sell to the merchants.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>She is clothed with strength and dignity,</p><p class="line2">and she laughs without fear of the future.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>When she speaks, her words are wise,</p><p class="line2">and she gives instructions with kindness.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>She carefully watches everything in her household</p><p class="line2">and suffers nothing from laziness.</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Her children stand and bless her.</p><p class="line2">Her husband praises her:</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,</p><p class="line2">but you surpass them all!”</p><p class="b"/><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;</p><p class="line2">but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.</p><p class="line1"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/proverbs/31-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Reward her for all she has done.</p><p class="line2">Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">31:1 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">of Lemuel, king of Massa;</span><span class="ft"> or </span><span class="it">of King Lemuel, an oracle.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">31:10 </span><span class="ft">Verses 10-31 comprise a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">31:21 </span><span class="ft">As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads </span><span class="it">scarlet.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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