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    Open your mouth, judge fairly,
        and stand up for the rights of the afflicted and the poor.

King Lemuel’s mother warns him of the dangers of women and wine. In different ways, both have brought down great leaders. Both are certainly distractions to a king’s true work—defending the poor.

10 Who can find a truly excellent woman? One who is superior in all that she is and all that she does?
    Her worth far exceeds that of rubies and expensive jewelry.
11 She inspires trust, and her husband’s heart is safe with her,
    and because of her, he has every good thing.

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Speak up and judge fairly;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.(A)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [a]A wife of noble character(B) who can find?(C)
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband(D) has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.