Proverbs
Chapter 31
SEVENTH COLLECTION
The sayings of Lemuel, king of Massa, taught to him by his mother.
No, my son! Son of my womb, no!No, my most beloved son!
Don’t waste your strength on women or your life on those who ruin kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, nor for rulers to drink wine or love strong drink.
Lest in drinking they forget what they have decreed and override the cause of the helpless.
Give strong drink to the one about to die, and wine to the heart full of bitterness:
so that he can drink and forget his misfortune and remember his pain no more.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and advocate for the needs of all the poor.
Open your mouth, speak only sentences, and defend the needy and the poor.
Where can the woman of character be found? She is more valuable than any jewel.
Her husband fully trusts her; she will greatly benefit him.
She brings him only good, not evil, all her days.
She has acquired wool and flax, and she works them skillfully.
She is like the merchant ships that bring supplies from distant places.
She gets up while it’s still dark, feeds her family, and assigns tasks to the servants.
If she desires a field, she purchases it and plants a vineyard herself.
She is energetic, and her arms display her strength.
She knows her work is successful, and at night, her light stays on.
She places her hand on the distaff, and her fingers grasp the spindle.
She reaches out her hand to help the helpless and gives to the poor.
When snow arrives, she has no worries for her family because they are all warmly dressed.
She makes her own quilts, and her clothes are purple and made of fine linen.
Her husband is highly respected; he sits on the council with the elders of the people.
She weaves linen cloth and sells it; she supplies merchants with sashes.
She is strong and dignified, and she looks confidently toward the future.
She speaks wisely, and her words are kind.
She monitors her household’s conduct and is never idle.
Her sons rise up and call her blessed, and her husband sings her praises:
“Many women have achieved amazing things, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive and beauty is useless; the woman who is wise is the one to praise.
May she enjoy the fruits of her labor, and may everyone praise her for her works.
Commentaries
Seventh Collection.
Through fictional or perhaps real figures, a mother teaches wisdom to her son. These are not two ordinary characters, but a mother who wisely instructs her son, the king. This mother, who might be Wisdom personified by the author, provides her son with guidance more suitable for an ideal king than for an actual one.
We should not take too seriously the advice that encourages the poor and oppressed to drink alcohol and liquor so they can forget their sorrows and suffering! Without understanding this mother’s advice, many employers and political leaders often get the poor drunk to keep them from causing problems by ‘forgetting their sorrows’; would God support that? On the contrary, we need to have a clear conscience that allows us to fill ourselves more and more with the word of God, which embodies justice, and in solidarity with our fellow human beings, we unite in the struggle to claim our rights.
Seventh Collection.
The book concludes with an acrostic poem dedicated to the industrious woman or the true woman, as understood by Eastern and Jewish society of that time: entirely devoted to the home, its management, and its administration. It was unthinkable for a woman to engage in any work or activity outside the house because that would be considered a disgrace to her husband. What about the modern woman? How can we support her in balancing her role as mother and housewife with her need to be present in the workforce?