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Proverbs 31
Tree of Life Version
Proverbs 31
Tree of Life Version
A Mother’s Warning
31 The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him:
2 O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows,
3 do not give your vigor to women,
or your ways to what ruins kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to crave strong drink,
5 lest they drink, forget what is decreed,
and pervert justice for all the oppressed.
6 Give strong drink to one who is dying,
and wine to those who are bitterly distressed—
7 let him drink, forget his poverty,
and remember his misery no more.
8 Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak,
for the justice of all who are destitute.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
plead the cause of the poor and needy.
A Woman of Valor
10 An accomplished woman who can find?
Her value is far beyond rubies.
11 Her husband’s heart trusts in her,
and he lacks nothing valuable.
12 She brings him good and not harm
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and her hands work willingly.
14 She is like merchant ships,
bringing her sustenance from afar.
15 She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it.
From the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength
and invigorates her arms.
18 She discerns that her business is good.
Her lamp never goes out at night.
19 She extends her hands to the spindle
and her palm grasps the spinning wheel.
20 She spreads out her palms to the poor,
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her house,
for her whole household is clothed in scarlet wool.
22 She makes her own luxurious coverings.
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gates,
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them
and supplies sashes to the merchants.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the days to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom—
a lesson of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and bless her,
her husband also praises her:
29 “Many daughters have excelled,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears Adonai will be praised.
31 Give her the fruit of her hands.
Let her deeds be her praise at the gates.
Proverbs 31
New International Version
Proverbs 31
New International Version
Sayings of King Lemuel
31 The sayings(A) of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!(B)
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.(C)
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,(D)
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink(E) and forget what has been decreed,(F)
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine(G) for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink(H) and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 Speak(I) up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.(J)
Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character
10 [b]A wife of noble character(K) who can find?(L)
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband(M) has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.(N)
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.(O)
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.(P)
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders(Q) of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.(R)
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise(S) at the city gate.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
- Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.