Poetry

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Sayings of King Lemuel

1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle [a] his mother taught him:

He was a mother taught man
Who grew up to be a king.
Lemuel decided to take a stand
And use his pen to let wisdom ring.

2 "O my son, O son of my womb,
O son of my vows, [b]

His mom taught him from her womb,
And cared to guide him every day
She vowed to the Lord till she was in the tomb,
She would guide her son is wisdom's way.

3 do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.

Too many women can wear you out,
So save your strength and be loyal to one.
Too many kings have wasted away
Maintaining their harem day after day.

4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,

Kings my son have to watch how they dine,
And avoid the negative effects of drinking wine.
And please pay attention to me my dear,
Don't ever develop any craving for beer.

5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

There is danger your advisers will drink and forget
That the people need them as their legal asset.
Your citizens need their protection all days and nights
To preserve from oppressors their full legal rights.

6 Give beer to those who are perishing,
wine to those who are in anguish;

Let those who have no purpose to add to life's cheer
Spend their meaningless lives just guzzling beer.
If they want to drink wine in their life full of anguish,
Don't dream of such waste, and in such folly languish.

7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.

If that is the only purpose they have to live for,
Drinking not to remember their misery no more,
Don't sink to that level of poverty of mind,
But rise to the level God's children can find.

8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak out and stand up for those who are weak.
Be the spokesman for those who cannot speak.
So many are helpless and hopeless in fights,
And they need a strong king to defend their rights.

9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Defend the rights of the needy and poor,
Speak out, let everyone know what your for.
Let everyone see you judge fair and do right,
So all will know your kingdom is a kingdom of light.



Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [c] A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

A wife of noble character who can find?
That is the question on many a male mind.
He knows there are few values anywhere on earth
Can measure in rubies what such a wife is worth.


11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

Confidence exudes from the mate of such wife,
For by her he lacks nothing of value in life.
With her in his life there is nothing he lacks,
And not just a minimum, but stacks and stacks.


12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

Everything that she does brings good to his life,
And he is everyday praising he has such a wife.
She never reverses and brings to him harm,
But all of his days, she's his lucky charm.

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

This fortunate man has time to relax,
For his wife brings home the wool and flax.
She makes all the clothes, and ties all the bands,
And makes life a comfort with her eager hands.


14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

She is like the merchant ships,
(Not a reference to her hips.)
Always bringing to home shore
Better products, never had before.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

She rises before dawns early light,
And whips up breakfast for all in sight.
All under her roof are filled with food
And start each day with a happy mood.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

After she cleans up every plate,
She enters the realm of real estate.
She buys a field and quickly gets it planted,
With help from her servants we take for granted.


17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

She is vigorous about all of her work,
And no challenge would she ever shirk.
When someone needs help, she will they ask,
For her arms are strong for just any task.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

This woman doesn't know the meaning of stop,
And in profitable trading she's right at the top.
She doesn't stop working just because it is night,
For her lamp is on late giving her needed light.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.



20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

She opens her arms often to the needy and poor,
And none walk away empty from this woman's door.
She just never ceases to reach out her loving hands,
And so everyone knows always just where she stands.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

Let the snow fall, for it will not bring fear,
She is ready always to bring good cheer.
She has made warm clothing for this very reason.
She has just the right thing for every season.



22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

She makes nice coverings for her bed,
So at night she not cold, but warm instead.
In the daytime she is clothed like a queen,
In the finest purple linen she will be seen.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,
For all honor him for his excellent mate.
She inspires him to be a great leader,
And her wisdom compels him to heed her.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

She makes extra money with her sewing skills,
So the family never has to worry about bills.
The merchants love her, for all her supplies,
With garments and sashes for girls and guys.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

With Strength and dignity she clothes her spirit,
So poverty is so distant she will never come near it.
When she hears the warning of dooms day ahead,
She greets it without fear, but with laughter instead.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

When she opens her mouth you will want to listen,
For wisdom will shine, and her words will glisten.
Her tongue will convey faithful instruction,
Helping you build a life of fruitful construction.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

She has an eye on everything going on in her house,
None can escape her watching eye, not even her spouse.
Idleness is most definitely the last thing on her mind,
For she's still on top of things when she sits to unwind.



28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

Her children rise up and call her the best,
For they know she is by God abundantly blest.
Her husband will also not be left behind,
But will praise her as the best wife any could find.

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

The world is filled with women doing noble acts,
But this one is special when you face all the facts.
She is one of a kind, and her number is small,
For God's Word says, “she surpasses them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Charm and beauty can soon flee away
But she has something that is here to stay.
Her fear of the Lord makes her worthy to be praised,
For this is the example God want always upraised.


31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

This woman is always for all good most concerned,
And so give her the reward she clearly has earned.
Her beautiful helpfulness in not just a mere phase,
But part of her character, so she deserves public praise.

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