rsv Proverbs:26-31 SEEK
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Like snow in summer or rain in harvest ,
so honor is not fitting for a fool .
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Like a sparrow in its flitting ,
like a swallow in its flying ,
a curse that is causeless does not alight .
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A whip for the horse ,
a bridle for the ass ,
and a rod for the back of fools .
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Answer not a fool according to his folly ,
lest you be like him yourself .
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Answer a fool according to his folly ,
lest he be wise in his own eyes .
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He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence .
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Like a lame man '
s legs ,
which hang useless ,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools .
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Like one who binds the stone in the sling is he who gives honor to a fool .
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Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools .
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Like an archer who wounds everybody is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard .
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Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool that repeats his folly .
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Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes ?
There is more hope for a fool than for him .
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The sluggard says , "
There is a lion in the road !
There is a lion in the streets !"
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As a door turns on its hinges ,
so does a sluggard on his bed .
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The sluggard buries his hand in the dish ;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth .
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The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer discreetly .
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He who meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears .
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Like a madman who throws firebrands ,
arrows ,
and death ,
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is the man who deceives his neighbor and says , "
I am only joking !"
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For lack of wood the fire goes out ;
and where there is no whisperer ,
quarreling ceases .
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As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire ,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife .
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The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels ;
they go down into the inner parts of the body .
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Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel are smooth lips with an evil heart .
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He who hates ,
dissembles with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart ;
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when he speaks graciously ,
believe him not ,
for there are seven abominations in his heart ;
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though his hatred be covered with guile ,
his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly .
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He who digs a pit will fall into it ,
and a stone will come back upon him who starts it rolling .
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A lying tongue hates its victims ,
and a flattering mouth works ruin .
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Do not boast about tomorrow ,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth .
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Let another praise you ,
and not your own mouth ;
a stranger ,
and not your own lips .
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A stone is heavy ,
and sand is weighty ,
but a fool '
s provocation is heavier than both .
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Wrath is cruel ,
anger is overwhelming ;
but who can stand before jealousy ?
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Better is open rebuke than hidden love .
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Faithful are the wounds of a friend ;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy .
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He who is sated loathes honey ,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet .
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Like a bird that strays from its nest ,
is a man who strays from his home .
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Oil and perfume make the heart glad ,
but the soul is torn by trouble .
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Your friend ,
and your father '
s friend ,
do not forsake ;
and do not go to your brother '
s house in the day of your calamity .
Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away .
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Be wise ,
my son ,
and make my heart glad ,
that I may answer him who reproaches me .
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A prudent man sees danger and hides himself ;
but the simple go on ,
and suffer for it .
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Take a man '
s garment when he has given surety for a stranger ,
and hold him in pledge when he gives surety for foreigners .
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He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice ,
rising early in the morning ,
will be counted as cursing .
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A continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike ;
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to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in his right hand .
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Iron sharpens iron ,
and one man sharpens another .
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He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit ,
and he who guards his master will be honored .
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As in water face answers to face ,
so the mind of man reflects the man .
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Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied ,
and never satisfied are the eyes of man .
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The crucible is for silver ,
and the furnace is for gold ,
and a man is judged by his praise .
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Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain ,
yet his folly will not depart from him .
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Know well the condition of your flocks ,
and give attention to your herds ;
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for riches do not last for ever ;
and does a crown endure to all generations ?
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When the grass is gone ,
and the new growth appears ,
and the herbage of the mountains is gathered ,
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the lambs will provide your clothing ,
and the goats the price of a field ;
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there will be enough goats '
milk for your food ,
for the food of your household and maintenance for your maidens .
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The wicked flee when no one pursues ,
but the righteous are bold as a lion .
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When a land transgresses it has many rulers ;
but with men of understanding and knowledge its stability will long continue .
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A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food .
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Those who forsake the law praise the wicked ,
but those who keep the law strive against them .
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Evil men do not understand justice ,
but those who seek the LORD understand it completely .
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Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways .
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He who keeps the law is a wise son ,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father .
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He who augments his wealth by interest and increase gathers it for him who is kind to the poor .
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If one turns away his ear from hearing the law ,
even his prayer is an abomination .
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He who misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit ;
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance .
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A rich man is wise in his own eyes ,
but a poor man who has understanding will find him out .
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When the righteous triumph ,
there is great glory ;
but when the wicked rise ,
men hide themselves .
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He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper ,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy .
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Blessed is the man who fears the LORD always ;
but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity .
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Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people .
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A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor ;
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days .
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If a man is burdened with the blood of another ,
let him be a fugitive until death ;
let no one help him .
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He who walks in integrity will be delivered ,
but he who is perverse in his ways will fall into a pit .
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He who tills his land will have plenty of bread ,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty .
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A faithful man will abound with blessings ,
but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished .
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To show partiality is not good ;
but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong .
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A miserly man hastens after wealth ,
and does not know that want will come upon him .
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He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue .
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He who robs his father or his mother and says , "
That is no transgression ,"
is the companion of a man who destroys .
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A greedy man stirs up strife ,
but he who trusts in the LORD will be enriched .
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He who trusts in his own mind is a fool ;
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered .
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He who gives to the poor will not want ,
but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse .
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When the wicked rise ,
men hide themselves ,
but when they perish ,
the righteous increase .
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He who is often reproved ,
yet stiffens his neck will suddenly be broken beyond healing .
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When the righteous are in authority ,
the people rejoice ;
but when the wicked rule ,
the people groan .
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He who loves wisdom makes his father glad ,
but one who keeps company with harlots squanders his substance .
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By justice a king gives stability to the land ,
but one who exacts gifts ruins it .
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A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet .
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An evil man is ensnared in his transgression ,
but a righteous man sings and rejoices .
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A righteous man knows the rights of the poor ;
a wicked man does not understand such knowledge .
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Scoffers set a city aflame ,
but wise men turn away wrath .
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If a wise man has an argument with a fool ,
the fool only rages and laughs ,
and there is no quiet .
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Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless ,
and the wicked seek his life .
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A fool gives full vent to his anger ,
but a wise man quietly holds it back .
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If a ruler listens to falsehood ,
all his officials will be wicked .
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The poor man and the oppressor meet together ;
the LORD gives light to the eyes of both .
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If a king judges the poor with equity his throne will be established for ever .
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The rod and reproof give wisdom ,
but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother .
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When the wicked are in authority ,
transgression increases ;
but the righteous will look upon their downfall .
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Discipline your son ,
and he will give you rest ;
he will give delight to your heart .
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Where there is no prophecy the people cast off restraint ,
but blessed is he who keeps the law .
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By mere words a servant is not disciplined ,
for though he understands ,
he will not give heed .
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Do you see a man who is hasty in his words ?
There is more hope for a fool than for him .
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He who pampers his servant from childhood ,
will in the end find him his heir .
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A man of wrath stirs up strife ,
and a man given to anger causes much transgression .
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A man '
s pride will bring him low ,
but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor .
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The partner of a thief hates his own life ;
he hears the curse ,
but discloses nothing .
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The fear of man lays a snare ,
but he who trusts in the LORD is safe .
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Many seek the favor of a ruler ,
but from the LORD a man gets justice .
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An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous ,
but he whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked .
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The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa .
The man says to Ith '
i-el ,
to Ith '
i-el and Ucal :
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Surely I am too stupid to be a man .
I have not the understanding of a man .
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I have not learned wisdom ,
nor have I knowledge of the Holy One .
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Who has ascended to heaven and come down ?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists ?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment ?
Who has established all the ends of the earth ?
What is his name ,
and what is his son '
s name ?
Surely you know !
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Every word of God proves true ;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him .
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Do not add to his words ,
lest he rebuke you ,
and you be found a liar .
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Two things I ask of thee ;
deny them not to me before I die :
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Remove far from me falsehood and lying ;
give me neither poverty nor riches ;
feed me with the food that is needful for me ,
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lest I be full ,
and deny thee ,
and say , "
Who is the LORD ?"
or lest I be poor ,
and steal ,
and profane the name of my God .
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Do not slander a servant to his master ,
lest he curse you ,
and you be held guilty .
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There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers .
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There are those who are pure in their own eyes but are not cleansed of their filth .
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There are those--how lofty are their eyes ,
how high their eyelids lift !
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There are those whose teeth are swords ,
whose teeth are knives ,
to devour the poor from off the earth ,
the needy from among men .
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The leech has two daughters ; "
Give ,
give ,"
they cry .
Three things are never satisfied ;
four never say , "
Enough ":
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Sheol ,
the barren womb ,
the earth ever thirsty for water ,
and the fire which never says , "
Enough ."
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The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures .
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Three things are too wonderful for me ;
four I do not understand :
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the way of an eagle in the sky ,
the way of a serpent on a rock ,
the way of a ship on the high seas ,
and the way of a man with a maiden .
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This is the way of an adulteress :
she eats ,
and wipes her mouth ,
and says , "
I have done no wrong ."
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Under three things the earth trembles ;
under four it cannot bear up :
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a slave when he becomes king ,
and a fool when he is filled with food ;
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an unloved woman when she gets a husband ,
and a maid when she succeeds her mistress .
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Four things on earth are small ,
but they are exceedingly wise :
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the ants are a people not strong ,
yet they provide their food in the summer ;
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the badgers are a people not mighty ,
yet they make their homes in the rocks ;
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the locusts have no king ,
yet all of them march in rank ;
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the lizard you can take in your hands ,
yet it is in kings '
palaces .
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Three things are stately in their tread ;
four are stately in their stride :
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the lion ,
which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any ;
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the strutting cock ,
the he-goat ,
and a king striding before his people .
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If you have been foolish ,
exalting yourself ,
or if you have been devising evil ,
put your hand on your mouth .
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For pressing milk produces curds ,
pressing the nose produces blood ,
and pressing anger produces strife .
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The words of Lemuel ,
king of Massa ,
which his mother taught him :
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What ,
my son ?
What ,
son of my womb ?
What ,
son of my vows ?
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Give not your strength to women ,
your ways to those who destroy kings .
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It is not for kings ,
O Lemuel ,
it is not for kings to drink wine ,
or for rulers to desire strong drink ;
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lest they drink and forget what has been decreed ,
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted .
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Give strong drink to him who is perishing ,
and wine to those in bitter distress ;
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let them drink and forget their poverty ,
and remember their misery no more .
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Open your mouth for the dumb ,
for the rights of all who are left desolate .
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Open your mouth ,
judge righteously ,
maintain the rights of the poor and needy .
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A good wife who can find ?
She is far more precious than jewels .
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The heart of her husband trusts in her ,
and he will have no lack of gain .
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She does him good ,
and not harm ,
all the days of her life .
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She seeks wool and flax ,
and works with willing hands .
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She is like the ships of the merchant ,
she brings her food from afar .
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She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and tasks for her maidens .
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She considers a field and buys it ;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard .
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She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong .
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She perceives that her merchandise is profitable .
Her lamp does not go out at night .
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She puts her hands to the distaff ,
and her hands hold the spindle .
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She opens her hand to the poor ,
and reaches out her hands to the needy .
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She is not afraid of snow for her household ,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet .
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She makes herself coverings ;
her clothing is fine linen and purple .
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Her husband is known in the gates ,
when he sits among the elders of the land .
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She makes linen garments and sells them ;
she delivers girdles to the merchant .
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Strength and dignity are her clothing ,
and she laughs at the time to come .
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She opens her mouth with wisdom ,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue .
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She looks well to the ways of her household ,
and does not eat the bread of idleness .
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Her children rise up and call her blessed ;
her husband also ,
and he praises her :
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Many women have done excellently ,
but you surpass them all ."
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Charm is deceitful ,
and beauty is vain ,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised .
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Give her of the fruit of her hands ,
and let her works praise her in the gates .