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Proverbs 31 (Listen)

• Proverbs 30
• Proverbs 31
• Ecclesiastes 1

The Words of King Lemuel

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

2 What are you doing, my son?1 What are you doing, fson of my womb?

What are you doing, gson of my vows?

3 Do hnot give your strength to women,

your ways to those iwho destroy kings.

4 jIt is not for kings, O Lemuel,

it is not for kings kto drink wine,

or for rulers to take lstrong drink,

5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed

and mpervert the rights of all the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink to the one who nis perishing,

and wine to othose in bitter distress;2

7 plet them drink and forget their poverty

and remember their misery no more.

8 qOpen your mouth for the mute,

for the rights of all who are destitute.3

9 Open your mouth, rjudge righteously,

sdefend the rights of tthe poor and needy.

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

10 4 uAn excellent wife who can find?

She is far more precious than vjewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She wseeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

14 She is like the ships of the merchant;

she brings her food from afar.

15 She xrises while it is yet night

and yprovides food for her household

and portions for her maidens.

16 She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17 She zdresses herself5 with strength

and makes her arms strong.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

19 She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her hands hold the spindle.

20 She aopens her hand to bthe poor

and reaches out her hands to bthe needy.

21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,

for all her household are clothed in cscarlet.6

22 She makes dbed coverings for herself;

her clothing is efine linen and fpurple.

23 Her husband is known in gthe gates

when he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes hlinen garments and sells them;

she delivers sashes to the merchant.

25 iStrength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many jwomen have done kexcellently,

but you surpass them all.”

30 lCharm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates.

• Proverbs 30
• Proverbs 31
• Ecclesiastes 1

Proverbs 1 (Listen)

• Psalm 150
• Proverbs 1
• Proverbs 2

The Beginning of Knowledge

1 aThe proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight,

3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in brighteousness, justice, and equity;

4 to give prudence to cthe simple,

knowledge and ddiscretion to the youth—

5 Let the wise hear and eincrease in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6 to understand a proverb and a saying,

fthe words of the wise and their griddles.

7 hThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

8 iHear, my son, your father's instruction,

and forsake not your mother's teaching,

9 for they are ja graceful garland for your head

and kpendants for your neck.

10 My son, if sinners lentice you,

do not consent.

11 If they say, “Come with us, mlet us lie in wait for blood;

nlet us ambush the innocent without reason;

12 like Sheol let us oswallow them alive,

and whole, like pthose who go down to the pit;

13 we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14 throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

15 my son, qdo not walk in the way with them;

rhold back your foot from their paths,

16 for stheir feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17 tFor in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18 but these men ulie in wait for their own blood;

they uset an ambush for their own lives.

19 vSuch are the ways of everyone who is wgreedy for unjust gain;

xit takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

20 yWisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at zthe entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22 “How long, O asimple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will bscoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools chate knowledge?

23 If you turn at my reproof,1

behold, I will dpour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 eBecause I have called and fyou refused to listen,

have gstretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25 because you have hignored all my counsel

and iwould have none of my reproof,

26 I also jwill laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when kterror strikes you,

27 when terror strikes you like la storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28 mThen they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29 Because they chated knowledge

and ndid not choose the fear of the Lord,

30 hwould have none of my counsel

and idespised all my reproof,

31 therefore they shall eat othe fruit of their way,

and have ptheir fill of their own devices.

32 For the simple are killed by qtheir turning away,

and rthe complacency of fools destroys them;

33 but swhoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be tat ease, without dread of disaster.”

• Psalm 150
• Proverbs 1
• Proverbs 2