31
Wise sayings from King Lemuel
1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to King Lemuel’s mother, and which his mother taught him:
2 You are my son; I gave birth to you [RHQ];
you are the son that God gave me in answer to my prayers.
3 Do not exhaust your energy having sex [EUP] with women to whom you are not married,
with women who ruin kings by having sex with them.
4 Lemuel, kings should not be constantly drinking wine
or greatly desire to drink other strong/alcoholic drinks.
5 If they do that, they forget the laws that they have made,
and they do not do what is right for poor/afflicted people.
6 Give strong/alcoholic drinks to those who are dying
and to those who are ◄greatly distressed/suffering very much►.
7 If they drink, they will forget that they are poor,
and they will not think about their distress/troubles any more.
8 Speak [MTY] to defend people who are unable to defend themselves;
speak to encourage others to do what is right for those who are helpless.
9 Speak [MTY] ◄on their behalf/to help them► and try to cause judges to decide matters fairly/justly;
try to cause others to do for poor and needy people what should be done for them.
Praise for a good wife
10 It is very difficult for a man to [RHQ] find a wife who is good and who is capable of doing many things.
Any woman who is like that is worth more than jewels.
11 Her husband completely trusts her,
and because of her, he has everything that he needs [LIT].
12 She never does anything that would harm him;
she does good things for him all the days of her life.
13 She finds wool and flax in the market,
and she enjoys spinning it to make yarn.
14 She is like [SIM] a ship that brings from far away goods/merchandise to sell,
because she buys food that comes from far away.
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare food for her family.
Then she plans the work that her servant girls will do on that day.
16 She goes out and looks at a field that someone wants to sell;
and if it is a good field, she buys it.
She buys grapevines [MTY] with the money that she has earned,
and then she plants them.
17 She works very hard [IDM];
she makes her arms strong by the work she does.
18 She knows when she is getting a good profit from her business.
When it is necessary, she works [MTY] until it is late at night.
19 She holds the ◄spindle/rod which twists the thread that she is making►,
and then she spins the thread [MTY] that she will use.
20 She generously helps [MTY] those who are poor and needy [DOU].
21 She is not worried that the people in her house will be cold in the winter,
because she has made warm clothes for all of them.
22 She makes bedspreads/quilts for the beds.
She wears fine linen clothes that are dyed purple, like queens wear.
23 Her husband is well known by the important people of the town;
he sits with the other town leaders in the meetings of the town council.
24 She makes clothes from linen cloth and sells them.
She sells sashes to shop owners.
25 She is strong in her character and respected/dignified,
and she ◄laughs at/is not afraid of► what will happen in the future.
26 When she speaks, she says what is wise.
When she gives instructions,
she speaks [MTY] kindly (OR, faithfully).
27 She watches over everything that is done in her household,
and she [IDM] is never lazy.
28 Her children all together speak highly of her,
and her husband also praises her.
29 He says to her, “There are many women who do admirable things,
but you surpass them all!”
30 Some women who are attractive are not really good women,
but they can deceive us regarding what they are really like.
Furthermore, women’s beauty does not last;
but women who revere Yahweh should be honored.
31 Reward women who are like that,
and praise them in public [MTY] for what they have done.