A Virtuous Woman

¹Amazwi kaLemuweli, inkosi yaseMasa, awafundiswa ngunina.

²“Yini, ndodana yami, yini, ndodana yesizalo sami, yini, ndodana yezithembiso zami, na?

³Unganiki abesifazane amandla akho, nezindlela zakho kwababhubhisa amakhosi.

⁴“Akusikho okwamakhosi, Lemuweli, akusikho okwamakhosi ukuphuza iwayini, nokwababusi ukufisa uphuzo olunamandla,

⁵funa baphuze, bakhohlwe izimiso, baguqule ukwahlulelwa kwabantwana bokuhlupheka.

⁶Mnike obhubhayo uphuzo olunamandla nomunyu enhliziyweni iwayini.

⁷Makaphuze akhohlwe ubumpofu bakhe, angabe esakhumbula usizi lwakhe.

⁸“Sivulele isimungulu umlomo wakho, umele bonke abantwana abayizintandane.

⁹Vula umlomo wakho, wahlulele ngokulunga, umele abahluphekayo nabampofu.”

¹⁰Ngubani ongathola umfazi okhutheleyo na? Ngokuba inani lakhe lidlula kakhulu amarubi.

¹¹Inhliziyo yendoda yakhe iyethemba kuye; ayiyikuswela inzuzo.

¹²Uyayenzela okuhle, kungabi ngokubi, zonke izinsuku zokuphila kwakhe.

¹³Ufuna uboya bezimvu nefilakisi; usebenza ngezandla ezivumayo.

¹⁴Unjengemikhumbi yabathengi; ulanda kude ukudla kwakhe.

¹⁵Uyavuka kuse sebusuku, aphe abendlu yakhe ukudla namantombazana akhe imisebenzi yawo.

¹⁶Ucabanga ngensimu, ayithenge; ngesithelo sezandla zakhe utshala isivini,

¹⁷Uyabhinca okhalweni amandla; uyaqinisa izingalo zakhe.

¹⁸Uyabona ukuthi ukuphatha kwakhe kunenzuzo; isibani sakhe asicimeki nasebusuku.

¹⁹Uyabeka izandla zakhe othini lokuphotha izintambo, neminwe yakhe ibamba insimbi.

²⁰Ohluphekayo uyamvulela isandla sakhe, yebo, uzelulela abampofu izandla zakhe.

²¹Akesatshiswa ngabendlu yakhe ngungqoqwane; ngokuba bonke abendlu yakhe bembathiswa okubomvu.

²²Uyazenzela izindwangu ezimbozayo; izambatho zakhe ziyilineni elicolekileyo nokububende.

²³Indoda yakhe iyaziwa emasangweni, lapho ihlezi namalunga ezwe.

²⁴Wenza izingubo zelineni, athengise ngazo, anikele kubathengi amabhande.

²⁵Amandla nesithunzi kungukwembatha kwakhe; uhleka usuku oluzayo.

²⁶Uyawuvula umlomo wakhe ngokuhlakanipha, nomthetho womusa usolimini lwakhe.

²⁷Uyaqaphela okwenziwayo endlini yakhe, akadli isinkwa sobuvila.

²⁸Abantwana bakhe bayasukuma, bambusise; nendoda yakhe iyamdumisa ngokuthi:

²⁹“Baningi abafazi abakhutheleyo, kepha wena ubadlula bonke.”

³⁰Ubuhle buyinkohliso, nokubukeka kuyize, kepha owesifazane owesaba uJehova uyakudunyiswa.

³¹Muphe ezithelweni zezandla zakhe, izenzo zakhe zimdumise emasangweni.