Proverbs 31

²⁰My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

⁵I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

¹⁵From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¹These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O God, and worn out.

¹⁵“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!

¹¹And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

²⁸I now dedicate the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.

¹⁷He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

²⁶Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.

²⁶For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number.

²⁷Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

⁹lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel;

¹⁰lest strangers feast on your wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.

¹King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.

¹¹to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

¹⁷Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

²²Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,

¹¹to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.

¹²My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.

⁵and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.

¹⁶They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.

¹⁷And the young officers of the district governors marched out first. Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

⁵and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.

²³Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

¹⁵wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

¹⁰In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears.

²⁰Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,

²⁷When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

⁶And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

³Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.

⁴Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.

¹²If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds?

⁷Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,

⁸Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king,

²⁴Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

¹³he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews.

¹⁴For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

¹²because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.

¹³The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

¹⁷Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”

¹¹Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.

¹²For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

¹⁵You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

¹⁵I served as eyes to the blind and as feet to the lame.

¹⁶I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.

¹⁶At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.

³This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

¹⁴Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her

²⁶to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

²²He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.

⁸There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number,

⁹but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.

¹Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives

²when they see your pure and reverent demeanor.

¹⁰and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.

⁵to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.

¹⁰For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

¹¹For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being busybodies.

³⁹So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

²³So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

⁹While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

¹⁰As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.

³Tell Tyre, who dwells at the gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that this is what the Lord God says: You have said, O Tyre, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’

⁴Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders perfected your beauty.

²⁶King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.

²⁷And Hiram sent his servants, sailors who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants.

¹¹Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

³⁵Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray.

⁴²And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time?

¹³Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.

¹⁰Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

¹⁵Again and again the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place.

⁴⁴The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

¹²But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.

¹⁸One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”

³Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

¹³Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

³⁵Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.

¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,

⁴⁶And the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

⁹Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil.

⁴But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

⁴⁰As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

²In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved.

⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,

⁸nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

²⁵Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun: blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen.

²⁶And all the skilled women whose hearts were stirred spun the goat hair.

²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

¹⁶And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

¹⁷Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will repay the lender.

⁹A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

¹³Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.

³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions.

³⁵In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

²²He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.

²⁰Like one who removes a garment on a cold day or vinegar poured on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²⁴O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and luxury, who decked your garments with ornaments of gold.

⁸She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

¹⁶I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt.

⁴²Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.

¹⁰I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.

¹¹I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck.

¹⁵Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

¹⁴The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.

⁴A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.

¹Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.

¹⁸You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the Lord your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.

¹¹“We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the Lord make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

⁷When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,

¹⁹his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown,

¹⁹Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.

¹⁶Aram was your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.

²⁸Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.

¹⁹She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

¹²“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.

¹³She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

¹⁰Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory.

¹⁴Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

¹⁰but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

¹⁴I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; justice was my robe and my turban.

¹⁰I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

²⁹Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

²⁴Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

³¹The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

¹⁸Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

⁵Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.

⁴but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.

⁵For this is how the holy women of the past adorned themselves. They put their hope in God and were submissive to their husbands,

¹⁰and well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.

⁴In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children,

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

¹Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

⁵I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

¹⁵From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

¹⁹So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.

¹These are the words of King Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him:

¹⁶Truly, O Lord, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.

⁴No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.

⁵For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

⁸There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number,

⁹but my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her praises.

²⁷and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

⁴but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.

⁵For this is how the holy women of the past adorned themselves. They put their hope in God and were submissive to their husbands,

²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

¹³To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

²⁴For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

¹¹to bring Queen Vashti before him, wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and officials. For she was beautiful to behold.

¹²Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs. And the king became furious, and his anger burned within him.

²For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.

¹⁰For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

¹³And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

¹I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

²Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me.

¹⁶She appraises a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.