¹The words of Lemuel the king, the burden with which his mother disciplined him.

²What, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows?

³Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to the wiping out of kings.

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel, not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers to say, 'Where is strong drink?'

⁵lest he drink and forget what is decreed, and change the case of all the children of affliction.

⁶Give strong drink to the one perishing, and wine to those bitter of being.

⁷He will drink and forget his poverty, and his toil he will remember no more.

⁸Open wide your mouth for the mute, for the case of all the children of passing away.

⁹Open wide your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and the needy.

¹⁰A woman of strength, who will find her? And far beyond corals is her price.

¹¹The heart of her lord trusts in her, and he will not lack plunder.

¹²She deals bountifully with him, good, and not evil, all the days of her life.

¹³She seeks wool and flax, and makes it with the delight of her palms.

¹⁴She is like the ships of a trader; from far off she brings her food.

¹⁵She rises while still night, and gives food to her household and an allotted portion to her girls.

¹⁶She considers a field and takes it; from the fruit of her palms she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷She girds her loins with strength, and makes her arms strong.

¹⁸She tastes that her profit is good; her lamp does not go out in the night.

¹⁹Her hands stretch out to the distaff, and her palms grasp the spindle.

²⁰Her palm spreads out to the poor, and her hands stretch out to the needy.

²¹She does not fear for her house because of snow, for all her house is clothed in scarlet.

²²She makes coverlets for herself; fine linen and purple are her garment.

²³Her lord is known in the gates, when he sits with the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes linen wrappers and sells them, and gives belts to the merchants.

²⁵Strength and splendor are her garment, and she laughs at the day to come.

²⁶She opens wide her mouth with wisdom, and the instruction of loyal love is on her tongue.

²⁷She keeps watch over the ways of her household, and does not eat the food of laziness.

²⁸Her sons rise up and call her happy; her lord also, and he praises her.

²⁹Many daughters have acted with strength, but you have gone up above all of them.

³⁰Favor is falsehood, and beauty is vapor; a woman who fears Yahweh, she will be praised.

³¹Give her some of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.