Proverbs 31:1-6
Proverbs 31:1-7 The Message (MSG)
The words of King Lemuel, the strong advice his mother gave him: “Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of! Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God! Don’t dilute your strength on fortune-hunting women, promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders. “Leaders can’t afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, Lest, hung over, they don’t know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt. Use wine and beer only as sedatives, to kill the pain and dull the ache Of the terminally ill, for whom life is a living death.
Proverbs 31:1-6 King James Version (KJV)
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? And what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Proverbs 31:1-6 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him: What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, Or your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter.
Proverbs 31:1-6 New Century Version (NCV)
These are the words of King Lemuel, the message his mother taught him: “My son, I gave birth to you. You are the son I prayed for. Don’t waste your strength on women or your time on those who ruin kings. “Kings should not drink wine, Lemuel, and rulers should not desire beer. If they drink, they might forget the law and keep the needy from getting their rights. Give beer to people who are dying and wine to those who are sad.
Proverbs 31:1-6 American Standard Version (ASV)
The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink? Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul
Proverbs 31:1-6 New International Version (NIV)
The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel— it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish!
Proverbs 31:1-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
Proverbs 31:1-6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The words of King Lemuel, the oracle, which his mother taught him: ¶What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what [shall I advise you], O son of my vows? Do not give your [generative] strength to women [neither foreign wives in marriages of alliances, nor concubines], Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, [Eccl 10:17; Hos 4:11] Otherwise they drink and forget the law and its decrees, And pervert the rights and justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink [as medicine] to him who is ready to pass away, And wine to him whose life is bitter.
Proverbs 31:1-6 New Living Translation (NLT)
The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him. O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not waste your strength on women, on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress.
Proverbs 31:1-7 The Passion Translation (TPT)
King Lemuel’s royal words of wisdom: These are the inspired words my mother taught me. Listen, my dear son, son of my womb. You are the answer to my prayers, my son. So keep yourself sexually pure from the promiscuous, wayward woman. Don’t waste the strength of your anointing on those who ruin kings— you’ll live to regret it! For you are a king, Lemuel, and it’s never fitting for a king to be drunk on wine or for rulers to crave alcohol. For when they drink they forget justice and ignore the rights of those in need, those who depend on them for leadership. Strong drink is given to the terminally ill, who are suffering at the brink of death. Wine is for those in depression in order to drown their sorrows. Let them drink and forget their poverty and misery.
Proverbs 31:1-6 English Standard Version Revision 2016 (ESV)
The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress