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²²For a servant when he reigneth;

And a churl when he is filled with food;

²³For an odious woman when she is married;

And a handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

 

²⁴There are four things which are little upon the earth,

But they are exceeding wise:

²⁵The ants are a people not strong,

Yet they provide their food in the summer;

²⁶The rock-badgers are but a feeble folk,

Yet make they their houses in the crags;

²⁷The locusts have no king,

Yet go they forth all of them by bands;

²⁸The spider thou canst take with the hands,

Yet is she in kings' palaces.

 

²⁹There are three things which are stately in their march,

Yea, four which are stately in going:

³⁰The lion, which is mightiest among beasts,

And turneth not away for any;

³¹The greyhound; the he-goat also;

And the king, against whom there is no rising up.

 

³²If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,

Or if thou hast planned devices, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.

³³For the churning of milk bringeth forth curd,

And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;

So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

31 The words of king Lemuel; the burden wherewith his mother corrected him.

²What, my son? and what, O son of my womb?

And what, O son of my vows?

³Give not thy strength unto women,

Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

⁴It is not for kings, O ^[1]Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine:

Nor for princes to say: 'Where is strong drink?'

⁵Lest they drink, and forget that which is decreed,

And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,

And wine unto the bitter in soul;

⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty,

And remember his misery no more.

⁸Open thy mouth for the dumb,

In the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

⁹Open thy mouth, judge righteously,

And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

 

א ¹⁰A woman of valour who can find?

For her price is far above rubies.

ב ¹¹The heart of her husband doth aafely trust in her,

And he hath no lack of gain.

ג ¹²She doeth him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

ד ¹³She seeketh wool and flax,

And worketh willingly with her hands.

ה ¹⁴She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her food from afar.

ו ¹⁵She riseth also while it is yet night,

And giveth food to her household,

And a portion to her maidens.

1. Heb. Lemoel.

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