Proverbs 31:1-31
31 The words of King Lemʹu·el, the weighty message his mother gave to instruct him:+
2 What should I tell you, O my son,What, O son of my womb,And what, O son of my vows?+
3 Do not give your vigor to women,+Nor follow ways that destroy kings.+
4 It is not for kings, O Lemʹu·el,It is not for kings to drink wineNor for rulers to say, “Where is my drink?”+
5 So that they do not drink and forget what is decreedAnd pervert the rights of the lowly ones.
6 Give alcohol to those who are perishing+And wine to those in bitter distress.*+
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty;Let them remember their trouble no more.
8 Speak up in behalf of the speechless;Defend the rights of all who are perishing.+
9 Speak up and judge righteously;Defend the rights* of the lowly and the poor.+
א [Aleph]
10 Who can find a capable* wife?+
Her value is far more than that of corals.*
ב [Beth]
11 Her husband trusts her from his heart,And he lacks nothing of value.
ג [Gimel]
12 She rewards him with good, not bad,All the days of her life.
ד [Daleth]
13 She obtains wool and linen;She delights to work with her hands.+
ה [He]
14 She is like the ships of a merchant,+Bringing her food in from afar.
ו [Waw]
15 She also rises while it is still night,Providing food for her householdAnd portions for her female servants.+
ז [Zayin]
16 She sets her mind on a field and buys it;She plants a vineyard from her own labors.*
ח [Heth]
17 She prepares herself for hard work,*+And she strengthens her arms.
ט [Teth]
18 She sees that her trading is profitable;Her lamp does not go out at night.
י [Yod]
19 Her hands seize the distaff,And her hands take hold of the spindle.*+
כ [Kaph]
20 She extends her palm to the lowly one,And she opens her hands to the poor.+
ל [Lamed]
21 She does not worry about her household because of the snow,For her whole household is clothed in warm* garments.
מ [Mem]
22 She makes her own bed covers.
Her clothing is of linen and purple wool.
נ [Nun]
23 Her husband is well-known in the city gates,+Where he sits among the elders of the land.
ס [Samekh]
24 She makes and sells linen garments*And supplies belts to the merchants.
ע [Ayin]
25 She is clothed with strength and splendor,And she looks to the future with confidence.*
פ [Pe]
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom;+The law of kindness* is on her tongue.
צ [Tsade]
27 She watches over the activity of her household,And the bread of laziness she does not eat.+
ק [Qoph]
28 Her children rise up and declare her happy;Her husband rises up and praises her.
ר [Resh]
29 There are many capable* women,But you—you surpass them all.
ש [Shin]
30 Charm may be false, and beauty may be fleeting,*+But the woman who fears Jehovah will be praised.+
ת [Taw]
31 Give her the reward for what she does,*+And let her works praise her in the city gates.+
Footnotes
^ Or “those bitter of soul.”
^ Or “Plead the cause.”
^ Or “an excellent.”
^ Or “with her earnings.” Lit., “from the fruitage of her hands.”
^ Lit., “girds her hips with strength.”
^ The distaff and the spindle were sticks used to spin or make thread and yarn.
^ Lit., “double.”
^ Or “undergarments.”
^ Or “laughs at a future day.”
^ Or “Loving instruction; The law of loyal love.”
^ Or “excellent.”
^ Or “empty.”
^ Lit., “Give her from the fruit of her hands.”
