Proverbs Chapter 31
Showing all 31 verses for Proverbs Chapter 31.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. "
"These are the words of King Lemuel - the wise teaching his mother gave him."
I value the wisdom of mothers as much as any teacher's - the people who raised you and worried over you often see what you need to hear more clearly than anyone else. Don't be too proud to still be taught by them.
"What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? "
"What can I tell you, my son - son I carried, son I made promises about?"
Whatever hopes were spoken over you before you can even remember - by a parent, in a hard moment, in a prayer - those words carry more weight than you might realise. I care about the story behind why someone loves you, not just the advice they give.
"Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. "
"Don't pour your strength into women, or your energy into whatever destroys kings."
The more influence you're given, the more carefully you need to guard what you pour your energy into - because power magnifies whatever you're already inclined towards, good or bad. Protect your integrity especially when you have the most to lose by not doing so.
"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: "
"It's not right for kings, Lemuel - not right for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink."
The more people depend on your decisions, the more responsibility you have to stay clear-headed when it matters. This isn't about rules for their own sake - it's about not letting anything dull your judgement when other people's wellbeing rests on it.
"Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. "
"Because if they drink, they might forget the law and twist justice for people who are already suffering."
When you have influence over other people's lives, staying sharp isn't just self-discipline - it's an act of love towards the people who can't afford your mistakes. I always notice who ends up paying the price when someone in power gets careless.
"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. "
"Give strong drink instead to someone who's dying, and wine to those who are crushed by grief."
I care more about easing real suffering than about rigid rules applied the same way to everyone. Show mercy that actually fits the person in front of you - what helps one person can harm another, so pay attention to who's really there.
"Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. "
"Let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their hardship no more."
I don't judge someone for needing a moment of relief from real, crushing pain - that's compassion, not weakness. What I ask of you is to notice the difference between comforting the suffering and numbing yourself out of convenience while others depend on you.
"Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. "
"Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves - for the cause of everyone who's about to be destroyed."
Power that only serves itself is wasted - I want you using whatever influence you have, however small, to speak for people who can't get a hearing on their own. That's not charity, that's justice done properly.
"Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. "
"Speak up, judge fairly, and defend the rights of the poor and those in need."
Don't just avoid doing harm - actively use whatever standing you have to defend people who have none. That's what I mean by righteousness: not staying clean by staying passive, but getting involved on behalf of those who need it.
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. "
"Who can find a truly capable woman? She's worth far more than precious jewels."
I measure worth completely differently to how the world usually does - not by how someone looks or what they own, but by the quality of their character and what they do with their life. This whole poem is my kind of praise: for substance, not show.
"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. "
"Her husband trusts her completely - he never has to worry about a shortage."
Real trust between two people is built the same way, slowly, through consistency - showing up, delivering on what you say, being reliable when it's not exciting. That kind of trust is worth more than any grand romantic gesture.
"She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. "
"She does him good, never harm, every single day of her life."
Anyone can be kind once. What I actually value is the quiet, daily choice to keep being good to the people you love, long after the excitement of a new relationship has faded. That consistency is love in its most durable form.
"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. "
"She seeks out wool and flax, and gets to work with her hands, gladly."
There's real dignity in ordinary work done well and done willingly - it doesn't have to be glamorous to matter. Find whatever your version of 'wool and flax' is, and do it with your whole heart rather than half-heartedly.
"She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. "
"She's like a merchant's trading ship, bringing in food from distant places."
Don't assume the work of caring for your household or the people you love is small work - it takes real resourcefulness, planning, and initiative, and I see all of that, even when nobody's applauding it.
"She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. "
"She gets up while it's still dark, prepares food for her whole household, and gives her servant girls their share too."
How you treat the people who work for you or under your authority tells me more about your character than how you treat your equals. Fairness towards those with less power than you isn't optional generosity - it's basic justice.
"She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. "
"She looks over a field, decides to buy it, and plants a vineyard with money she's earned herself."
Being wise with money isn't just about not wasting it - it's about thinking ahead, evaluating opportunities carefully, and investing what you've earned into something that grows. That kind of foresight is a form of wisdom I want for you.
"She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. "
"She works with real energy, strengthening her arms for what needs doing."
Take care of your body and your strength - not for how it looks, but because a strong, well-cared-for body lets you actually do the things you're called to do for the people who depend on you.
"She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. "
"She can see that her business is doing well - and her lamp doesn't go out at night."
Pay attention to whether what you're doing is actually working, not just whether you're busy. Real wisdom checks its results honestly, and keeps going - steadily, not frantically - when the work still needs doing.
"She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. "
"She puts her hands to the spindle, holding the distaff steady as she spins thread."
The small, repetitive tasks nobody notices are still worth doing well. Mastery of ordinary skills, practised patiently, is just as valuable in my eyes as any grand achievement.
"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. "
"She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out to those in need."
What you build with your effort and skill is never just for you - the measure of a well-lived life is how freely it opens towards people who have less. Generosity isn't separate from hard work; it's what hard work is for.
"She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. "
"She isn't worried about the snow for her household, because they're all dressed in warm scarlet clothing."
Peace of mind in hard times usually isn't luck - it's the result of preparation done earlier, when things were calmer. Do the quiet work now so that when the hard season comes, you're not caught out and afraid.
"She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. "
"She makes her own quality bedcovers, and dresses herself in fine linen and purple."
Caring for others doesn't mean neglecting yourself. You're allowed to enjoy the fruit of your own honest work - taking care of yourself isn't selfishness, it's part of a life lived in healthy balance.
"Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitheth among the elders of the land. "
"Her husband is well known and respected at the city gate, sitting among the elders of the land."
Behind a lot of public success is unseen, unglamorous work someone else did to make it possible. I see that hidden labour clearly, even when the world only applauds the person standing in the spotlight.
"She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. "
"She makes fine linen garments and sells them, and supplies merchants with sashes."
Skill combined with initiative can become something that provides for far more than just yourself - don't be afraid to take what you're good at out into the world and let it generate real value.
"Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. "
"Strength and dignity are what she wears; she can face the future without fear."
The goal of building good character isn't just about today - it's so you can face tomorrow, and everything unknown about it, without being ruled by fear. That kind of security doesn't come from controlling the future; it comes from who you've become.
"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. "
"When she speaks, it's with wisdom; and on her tongue is kind, gentle instruction."
Being right isn't enough - how you say something matters just as much as whether it's true. I want your wisdom to always come wrapped in kindness, because truth delivered without gentleness rarely actually helps anyone.
"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. "
"She keeps a close eye on how her household runs, and doesn't sit around eating food she hasn't earned."
Stay engaged with the responsibilities that are actually yours, rather than drifting through life on autopilot or living off what others have built. Attentiveness to your own life and the people in it is a quiet, daily form of love.
"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. "
"Her children stand up and call her blessed; her husband too, and he praises her."
The praise that matters most isn't public applause - it's the honest testimony of the people who live closest to you, who've seen you at your most ordinary and still call you blessed. Live in a way that earns that kind of witness.
"Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. "
"Many women have done excellent things, but you surpass every one of them."
Comparison usually only breeds either pride or envy - but there's a good kind of praise too, where you genuinely delight in someone specific and tell them so directly. Don't hold back that kind of honest appreciation for the people you love.
"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. "
"Charm can deceive, and beauty doesn't last - but a woman who has real reverence for God will be praised."
I don't measure anyone by how they look or how charming they seem in a moment - those things fade or deceive. What lasts, what I actually praise, is a life oriented around something bigger than yourself, lived out faithfully in ordinary, daily ways.
"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. "
"Give her the reward she's earned with her own hands, and let her achievements speak for her in public."
When someone has genuinely earned something through their own effort and character, give credit where it's due - don't let quiet, faithful work go unnoticed just because it wasn't loud. Recognising others honestly is itself an act of love.