Proverbs 31

₂‘My child, I am your mother.

I prayed to God

and He gave you to me.

₃Don't waste your strength

or your life on women,

because they can destroy even kings.

₄Lemuel, kings should not drink wine,

and people who rule should not get drunk.

₅If they drink too much,

they will not remember the laws

or protect the poor people.

₆You must give beer to people

who are dying,

and give wine to people who are suffering.

₇Let them drink

and forget that they are poor.

Let them forget about

all their trouble and suffering.

₈Help people who can not speak for themselves,

and protect the people who have nothing.

₉Speak for them and be fair when you judge,

and protect the people who can not

help themselves and who have nothing.’

₁₀If a man has found a good wife,

he has found a treasure

that is more precious than jewels.

₁₁Her husband always trusts her

and knows that she will do

what she promised,

and he will never be poor or need anything.

₁₂She does good for her husband all her life,

and she never brings him trouble.

₁₃She gets wool and flax

and she enjoys working with her hands.

₁₄She is like the boats of merchants,

because she brings food from places far away.

₁₅She gets up while it is dark

and she prepares food for her family

and for the servants who work for her.

₁₆She looks carefully at a field

and buys it with her own money

and she plants a vineyard.

₁₇Her arms are strong,

and she keeps on working.

₁₈When she sees people wanting

to buy the things that she makes,

she works all night.

₁₉She makes thread with her hands,

and she weaves at the loom and makes clothes.

₂₀She loves giving to poor people

and those who can not protect

themselves and who have nothing.

₂₁She does not worry about her family

when it snows because

they all have warm clothes.

₂₂She makes blankets and her clothes

are made of linen and purple wool.

₂₃Everyone knows her husband.

He sits with the leaders of the land

at the gate.

₂₄She makes clothes and sells them,

and she gives the merchants sashes to sell.

₂₅She is a strong and a neat woman,

and people honour her.

She is not worried about what will happen.

₂₆She always speaks words of wisdom,

and she teaches her people to be friendly.

₂₇She takes care of everything

in her house and she is never lazy.

₂₈Her children respect and praise her,

and her husband says she is a good wife.

He says:

₂₉‘There are a lot of good women,

but you are better than all of them.’

₃₀A woman does not always

stay young and beautiful,

but you should always praise a woman

who serves and fears the Lord.

₃₁She must get the reward for her hard work,

and everyone in the city must praise her.