1 The words of Sovereign Lemu’ĕl,
a message which his mother taught him:
2 What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to wiping away sovereigns.
4 Not for sovereigns, O Lemu’ĕl,
Not for sovereigns to drink wine,
Nor for princes to desire strong drink;
5 Lest they drink and forget the Law,
And pervert the right of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those embittered in being.
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his trouble no more.
8 Open your mouth for the dumb,
In the cause of all the sons of the departed.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
10 א,𐤀 Who finds a capable wife?
For she is worth far more than rubies.
11 ב ,𐤁 The heart of her husband shall trust her,
And he has no lack of gain.
12 ג , 𐤂 She shall do him good, and not evil,
All the days of her life.
13 ד ,𐤃 She shall seek wool and flax,
And with delight she works with her hands.
14 ה ,𐤄 She shall be as the ships of Tarshish,
She brings in her food from afar.
15 ו ,𐤅 She also rises while it is still night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her girls.
16 ז ,𐤆 She shall consider a field and buy it;
From her profits she shall plant a vineyard.
17 ח ,𐤇 She shall gird herself with strength,
And strengthen her arms.
18 ט ,𐤈 She shall taste when her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out by night.
19 י , 𐤉 She shall stretch out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand shall hold the spindle.
20 כ , 𐤊 She shall extend her hand to the poor,
And she shall reach out her hands to the needy.
21 ל , 𐤋 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is dressed in scarlet.
22 מ ,𐤌 She shall make tapestry for herself;
She is dressed in fine linen and purple.
23 נ , 𐤍 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 ס ,𐤎 She shall make fine linen and sell them,
And shall give girdles for the merchants.
25 ע ,𐤏 Strength and splendour are her garments,
And she rejoices in time to come.
26 פּ ,𐤐 She shall open her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the Torah of kindness.
27 צ ,𐤑 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 ק ,𐤒 Her children shall rise up and call her baruḵ;
Her husband, and he praises her:
29 ר , 𐤓 “Many daughters have done nobly,
But you have risen over them all.”
30 שׁ ,𐤔 Loveliness is deceptive
And prettiness is vain,
A woman who reveres 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is to be praised.
31 ת ,𐤕 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.