Proverbs 31
The Wife of Noble Character
10 A wife of noble character
who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full
confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good,
not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and
flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant
ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it
is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field
and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work
vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading
is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
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.
21 When it snows, she has
no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for
her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected
at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments
and sells
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength
and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the
affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and
call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble
things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and
beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her the reward she
has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
La mujer ejemplar
10 ¡Qué difícil es hallar
una esposa extraordinaria!
¡Hallarla es como encontrarse
una joya muy valiosa!
11 Quien
se casa con ella
puede darle toda su confianza;
dinero nunca le faltará.
12 A
ella todo le sale bien;
nunca nada le sale mal.
13 Sale
a comprar lana y lino,
y con sus propias manos
trabaja con alegría.
14 Se
parece a los barcos mercantes:
de muy lejos trae su comida.
15 Se
levanta muy temprano,
y da de comer a sus hijos
y asigna tareas a sus sirvientas.
16 Calcula
el precio de un campo;
con sus ganancias lo compra,
planta un viñedo,
17 y
en él trabaja
de sol a sol.
18 Ella
misma se asegura
de que el negocio marche
bien;
toda la noche hay luz en
su casa,
pues toda la noche trabaja.
19 Ella
fabrica su propia ropa,
20 y
siempre ayuda a los pobres.
21 No
le preocupa que haga frío,
pues todos en su casa
andan siempre bien abrigados.
22 Toma
telas de lino y de púrpura,
y ella misma hace colchas
y vestidos.
23 En
la ciudad y en el país
su esposo es bien conocido,
pues ocupa un lugar importante
entre la gente de autoridad.
24 La
ropa y los cinturones
que ella misma fabrica,
los vende a los comerciantes.
25 Es
mujer de carácter;
mantiene su dignidad,
y enfrenta confiada el futuro.
26 Siempre
habla con sabiduría,
y enseña a sus hijos con
amor.
27 Siempre
está pendiente de su casa
y de que todo marche bien.
Cuando come pan,
es porque se lo ha ganado.
28 Sus
hijos la felicitan;
su esposo la alaba y le dice:
29 "Mujeres
buenas hay muchas,
pero tú las superas a todas".
30 La
hermosura es engañosa,
la belleza es una ilusión;
¡sólo merece alabanzas
la mujer que obedece a Dios!
31 ¡Que
todo el mundo reconozca
los frutos de su esfuerzo!
¡Que todos en la ciudad
la alaben por sus acciones
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For Woman, in her weakness, is yet the strongest force upon the earth.
She is the helm of all things human;
she comes in many shapes and knocks at many doors;
she is quick and patient, and her passion is not ungovernable like that of man, but as a gentle steed that she can guide e’en where she will, and as occasion offers can now bit up and now give rein.
She has a captain’s eye, and stout must be
that fortress of the heart in which she finds no place of vantage.
Does thy blood beat fast in youth? She will outrun
it, nor will her kisses tire.
Art thou set toward ambition? She will unlock thy
inner heart, and show thee roads that lead to glory.
Art thou worn and weary? She has comfort in her
breast.
Art thou fallen? She can lift thee up, and to the
illusion of thy sense gild defeat with triumph.
Ay, Harmachis, she can do these things, for Nature
ever fights upon her side; and while she does them she can deceive and shape a secret end in which thou hast no part.
And thus Woman rules the world.
For her are wars; for her men spend their strength
in gathering gains; for her they do well and ill, and seek for greatness, to find oblivion.
But still she sits like yonder Sphinx, and smiles;
and no man has ever read all the riddle of her smile, or known all the mystery of her heart.
Mock not! mock not! Harmachis; for he must be Great indeed who can defy the power of Woman, which, pressing round Him like the invisible air, is often strongest
when the senses least discover it.”
Sepa, High Priest of Annu El Ra in Cleopatra by H. Rider Haggard
Kella