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The Blue Letter Bible

Proverbs 31 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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The Sayings of King Lemuel
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:1 - The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message,[fn] which his mother taught him.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:2 - O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows,
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:3 - do not waste your strength on women,
on those who ruin kings.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:4 - It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.
Rulers should not crave alcohol.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:5 - For if they drink, they may forget the law
and not give justice to the oppressed.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:6 - Alcohol is for the dying,
and wine for those in bitter distress.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:7 - Let them drink to forget their poverty
and remember their troubles no more.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:8 - Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:9 - Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
A Wife of Noble Character
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:10 - [fn]Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:11 - Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:12 - She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:13 - She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:14 - She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:15 - She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:16 - She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:17 - She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:18 - She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:19 - Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:20 - She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:21 - She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm[fn] clothes.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:22 - She makes her own bedspreads.
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:23 - Her husband is well known at the city gates,
where he sits with the other civic leaders.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:24 - She makes belted linen garments
and sashes to sell to the merchants.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:25 - She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:26 - When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:27 - She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:28 - Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:29 - “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!”
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:30 - Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.
Unchecked Copy BoxPro 31:31 - Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
NLT Footnotes
Or of Lemuel, king of Massa; or of King Lemuel, an oracle.
Verses 10-31 comprise a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads scarlet.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Proverbs Chapter 31 — Additional Translations: