Who can find an excellent woman? She is worth far more than rubies.Her husband trusts her completely. She gives him all the important things he needs.She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.She chooses wool and flax. She loves to work with her hands.She is like the ships of traders. She brings her food from far away.She gets up while it is still night. She provides food for her family. She also gives some to her female servants.She considers a field and buys it. She uses some of the money she earns to plant a vineyard.She gets ready to work hard. Her arms are strong.She sees that her trading earns a lot of money. Her lamp doesn’t go out at night.With one hand she holds the wool. With the other she spins the thread.She opens her arms to those who are poor. She reaches out her hands to those who are needy.When it snows, she’s not afraid for her family. All of them are dressed in the finest clothes.She makes her own bed coverings. She is dressed in fine linen and purple clothes.Her husband is respected at the city gate. There he takes his seat among the elders of the land.She makes linen clothes and sells them. She supplies belts to the traders.She puts on strength and honor as if they were her clothes. She can laugh at the days that are coming.She speaks wisely. She teaches faithfully.She watches over family matters. She is busy all the time.Her children stand up and call her blessed. Her husband also rises up, and he praises her.He says,“ Many women do excellent things. But you are better than all the others.”Charm can fool you. Beauty fades. But a woman who has respect for the Lord should be praised.Give her honor for all that her hands have done. Let everything she has done bring praise to her at the city gate.
Every good and perfect gift is from God. This kind of gift comes down from the Father who created the heavenly lights. These lights create shadows that move. But the Father does not change like these shadows.
Now I am ready to visit you for the third time. I won’t cause you any expense. I don’t want what you have. What I really want is you. After all, children shouldn’t have to save up for their parents. Parents should save up for their children.
Someday he’ll leave his property to his sons. When he does, he must not give the rights of the oldest son to the son of the wife he loves. He must give those rights to his oldest son. He must do it even though his oldest son is the son of the wife he doesn’t love.
So Joshua captured the whole land, just as the Lord had directed Moses. Joshua gave the land to Israel as their very own. He divided it up and gave each tribe its share. Then the land had peace and rest.
“ The Lord, the God of heaven, took me away from my father’s family. He brought me out of my own land. He made me a promise. He said,‘ I will give this land to your family after you.’ The Lord will send his angel ahead of you. So you will be able to get a wife for my son from there.
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him,“ Don’t get married to a Canaanite woman.Go at once to Paddan Aram. Go to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Find a wife for yourself there. Take her from among the daughters of your mother’s brother Laban.May the Mighty God bless you. May he give you children. May he make your family larger until you become a community of nations.May he give you and your children after you the blessing he gave to Abraham. Then you can take over the land where you now live as an outsider. It’s the land God gave to Abraham.”
