DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF THE POOR AND NEEDY
Key verse: 9
NIV
Sayings of King Lemuel
31 The sayings(A) of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!(B)
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.(C)
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,(D)
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink(E) and forget what has been decreed,(F)
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine(G) for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink(H) and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
Cross references
- Proverbs 31:1 : S Pr 22:17
- Proverbs 31:2 : S Jdg 11:30
- Proverbs 31:3 : S Dt 17:17; S 1Ki 11:3; Pr 5:1-14
- Proverbs 31:4 : S Pr 20:1; Ecc 10:16-17; Isa 5:22
- Proverbs 31:5 : S 1Ki 16:9
- Proverbs 31:5 : S Pr 16:12
- Proverbs 31:6 : S Ge 14:18
- Proverbs 31:7 : S Est 1:10
- Proverbs 31:8 : S 1Sa 19:4
- Proverbs 31:9 : S Pr 24:23; 29:7
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
The Words of King Lemuel
31 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
2 What are you doing, my son?[a] What are you doing, (A)son of my womb?
What are you doing, (B)son of my vows?
3 Do (C)not give your strength to women,
your ways to those (D)who destroy kings.
4 (E)It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings (F)to drink wine,
or for rulers to take (G)strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and (H)pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to the one who (I)is perishing,
and wine to (J)those in bitter distress;[b]
7 (K)let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 (L)Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.[c]
9 Open your mouth, (M)judge righteously,
(N)defend the rights of (O)the poor and needy.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 31:2 Hebrew What, my son?
- Proverbs 31:6 Hebrew those bitter in soul
- Proverbs 31:8 Hebrew are sons of passing away
Cross references
- Proverbs 31:2 : Isa. 49:15
- Proverbs 31:2 : [1 Sam. 1:27]
- Proverbs 31:3 : [ch. 5:9]
- Proverbs 31:3 : [ch. 7:26; Deut. 17:17; 1 Kgs. 11:1; Neh. 13:26]
- Proverbs 31:4 : Eccles. 10:17; [1 Kgs. 16:9; 20:16]
- Proverbs 31:4 : [Hos. 4:11]
- Proverbs 31:4 : ch. 20:1
- Proverbs 31:5 : [Isa. 5:22, 23]
- Proverbs 31:6 : Job 29:13
- Proverbs 31:6 : Job 3:20
- Proverbs 31:7 : [Ps. 104:15]
- Proverbs 31:8 : Job 29:12, 15, 16; [Isa. 1:17]
- Proverbs 31:9 : Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:16
- Proverbs 31:9 : Jer. 22:16; [Isa. 1:17]
- Proverbs 31:9 : ver. 20; Ps. 40:17; 86:1
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
The king wrote an oracle that his mother taught him. (Possibly this is King Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba.) She reminded him of how precious he was from her womb, and how she had made a vow to dedicate him to the Lord. She rebukes him for fraternizing with women and getting drunk. She admonishes him to take care of the poor. She reminds him that he was a king in the making, and kings had to carry themselves with nobility and justice.
He had a responsibility to protect and preserve the rights of the afflicted. But addiction to women and wine makes him lose judgment. Likewise, there are temptations around us to drink and be immoral. Let us make a noble decision to live a pure and upright life, so that we may be able to grow in wisdom, power, and courage to defend the rights of the poor and to administer justice for our generation.
Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus, who defended the rights of the poor. Help us to be leaders like him for our generation.
One Word: Live righteously and protect the needy