Bible Gateway passage: Proverbs 31 - English Standard Version (2024)

The Words of King Lemuel

31The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

²What are you doing, my son?^[a] What are you doing, ^(A)son of my womb?
What are you doing, ^(B)son of my vows?
³Do ^(C)not give your strength to women,
your ways to those ^(D)who destroy kings.
^4(E)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings ^(F)to drink wine,
or for rulers to take ^(G)strong drink,
⁵lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and ^(H)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
⁶Give strong drink to the one who ^(I)is perishing,
and wine to ^(J)those in bitter distress;^[b]
7(K)let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
^8(L)Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.^[c]
9Open your mouth, ^(M)judge righteously,
^(N)defend the rights of ^(O)the poor and needy.

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

^{10[d] (P)}An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than ^(Q)jewels.
¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
¹²She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
¹³She ^(R)seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
¹⁴She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
¹⁵She ^(S)rises while it is yet night
and ^(T)provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
¹⁶She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷She ^(U)dresses herself^[e] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰She ^(V)opens her hand to ^(W)the poor
and reaches out her hands to ^(X)the needy.
²¹She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in ^(Y)scarlet.^[f]
22She makes ^(Z)bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is ^(AA)fine linen and ^(AB)purple.
²³Her husband is known in ^(AC)the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
²⁴She makes ^(AD)linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
^25(AE)Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹“Many ^(AF)women have done ^(AG)excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
^30(AH)Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.