Proverbs · 31 verses
Proverbs 31
Every verse links to the people and places named in it, and to the passages readers connect it with.
The chapter
What happens here
Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.
A king is warned away from wine lest he forget justice, while the perishing are handed strong drink so they may forget their misery—a reversal with remarkably little ceremony.
The king and the bittervv. 1–9
Lemuel’s mother begins with three calls to her son—“my son,” “son of my womb,” “son of my vows”—and then spends her counsel on the dangers nearest a throne: squandered strength, ruined kings, and drink that makes decrees disappear. Yet strong drink has another appointment: it belongs to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul, so that poverty and misery may briefly lose their names. The king, meanwhile, is to keep his mouth open for the voiceless, the dispossessed, the poor, and the needy. Justice is the sober end of the speech, though the drink has not been banished from the world—only from the ruler’s cup.
The woman whose lamp does not go outvv. 10–31
Then comes a woman who makes a small kingdom of work: wool and flax, food from afar, provisions before dawn, a field purchased, a vineyard planted, linen sold, sashes delivered, and a lamp still burning at night. She is strong enough to trade and tender enough to open her arms to the needy; even snow finds her household dressed in scarlet, which is a splendidly specific way to describe preparedness. Her husband sits at the city gates among the elders, while she fills the house, the market, and the poor with the consequences of her industry. At the end, after all this planning, production, instruction, vigilance, and refusal of idleness, she can laugh at the days to come. Her children call her blessed, her husband praises her, and her works are told to praise her at the gates.
The text
Read it
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.
Prov 31:1These are the words of King Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him:
Prov 31:2What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?
Prov 31:3Do not spend your strength on women or your vigor on those who ruin kings.
Prov 31:4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
Prov 31:5lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.
Prov 31:6Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul.
Prov 31:7Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Prov 31:8Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.
Prov 31:9Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.
Prov 31:10A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
Prov 31:11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value.
Prov 31:12She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life.
Prov 31:13She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
Prov 31:14She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
Prov 31:15She rises while it is still night to provide food for her household and portions for her maidservants.
Prov 31:16She appraises a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Prov 31:17She girds herself with strength and shows that her arms are strong.
Prov 31:18She sees that her gain is good, and her lamp is not extinguished at night.
Prov 31:19She stretches out her hands to the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Prov 31:20She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
Prov 31:21When it snows, she has no fear for her household, for they are all clothed in scarlet.
Prov 31:22She makes coverings for her bed; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Prov 31:23Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.
Prov 31:24She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchants.
Prov 31:25Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the days to come.
Prov 31:26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Prov 31:27She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Prov 31:28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well:
Prov 31:29“Many daughters have done noble things, but you surpass them all!”
Prov 31:30Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Prov 31:31Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her at the gates.
01 — Also here
Who else the chapter reaches
Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.
Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.
02 — Read alongside
Where this is echoed
Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 256 passages were voted onto 30 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.
- 30Proverbs 1:7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
- 301 Peter 3:4–5but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.
- 10Proverbs 19:14Houses and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
- 10Proverbs 12:4A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.
- 111 Peter 3:1–7Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives
- 10Proverbs 18:22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
- 10Ephesians 5:25–33Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her
- 30Proverbs 11:22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
- 8Psalms 82:3–4Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
- 10Proverbs 3:15She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.
- 26Ephesians 4:29Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
- 25Job 40:10Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
- 25Romans 13:14Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
- 26Proverbs 16:24Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
- 10Song of Songs 6:8–9There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number,
- 30Esther 1:11–12to bring Queen Vashti before him, wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and officials. For she was beautiful to behold.
Onward