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Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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New Living Translation

Proverbs 31:5

For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Drunkenness;   Injustice;   King;   Rulers;   Wine;   Thompson Chain Reference - Injustice;   Justice-Injustice;   Woman;   The Topic Concordance - Drunkenness;   Government;   Sobriety;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflicted, Duty toward the;   Injustice;   Kings;   Wine;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Lemuel;   Proverb, the Book of;   Wine;   Woman;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Grapes;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Lemuel;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Agur;   Lemuel;   Proverbs, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Lemuel;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Acrostic;   Ethics;   Lemuel;   Marriage;   Massa;   Proverbs, Book of;   Song of Songs;   Trade and Commerce;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Lemuel ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Lem'uel;   Wine;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Drink, Strong;   Drunkenness;   Lemuel;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Lest he drink and forget what is decreed,And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Lest they by drnkyng forget the lawe, and peruert the iudgement of all poore mens children.
Darby Translation
—lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the children of affliction.
New King James Version
Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
Literal Translation
that they not drink and forget what is decreed, and pervert the right of the sons of affliction.
Easy-to-Read Version
They may drink too much and forget what the law says. Then they might take away the rights of the poor.
World English Bible
Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
King James Version (1611)
Lest they drinke, and forget the Law, and peruert the iudgement of any of the afflicted.
King James Version
Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
lest they beinge dronken forget the lawe, & regarde not ye cause of the poore, & of all soch as be in aduersite.
Amplified Bible
Otherwise they drink and forget the law and its decrees, And pervert the rights and justice of all the afflicted.
American Standard Version
Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted.
Bible in Basic English
For fear that through drinking they may come to have no respect for the law, wrongly judging the cause of those who are in trouble.
Update Bible Version
Or else they will drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice [due] to any that is afflicted.
Webster's Bible Translation
Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
New English Translation
lest they drink and forget what is decreed, and remove from all the poor their legal rights.
Contemporary English Version
Drinking makes you forget your responsibilities, and you mistreat the poor.
Complete Jewish Bible
For they may drink, then forget what has been decreed, and pervert the justice due to the poor.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Lest he drinke and forget the decree, and change the iudgement of all the children of affliction.
George Lamsa Translation
Lest you drink and forget the law and forsake the judgment of the afflicted.
Hebrew Names Version
Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Lest they drink, and forget that which is decreed, and pervert the justice due to any that is afflicted.
New Life Bible
Or they might drink and forget the law, and go against the rights of all who are suffering.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He that prepares a net in the way of his own friend, entangles his own feet in it.
English Revised Version
Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any that is afflicted.
Berean Standard Bible
lest they drink and forget what is decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of justice.
New Revised Standard
or else they will drink and forget what has been decreed, and will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lest he drink, and forget that which is decreed, and alter the plea of any who are sorely oppressed.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And lest they drink and forget judgments, and pervert the cause of the children of the poor.
Lexham English Bible
Or else he will drink and forget what has been decreed, and he will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
English Standard Version
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
New American Standard Bible
Otherwise they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the needy.
New Century Version
If they drink, they might forget the law and keep the needy from getting their rights.
Good News Translation
When they drink, they forget the laws and ignore the rights of people in need.
Christian Standard Bible®
Otherwise, they will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lest perauenture thei drynke, and foryete domes, and chaunge the cause of the sones of a pore man.
Revised Standard Version
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Young's Literal Translation
Lest he drink, and forget the decree, And change the judgment of any of the sons of affliction.

Contextual Overview

1 The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him. 2 O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, 3 do not waste your strength on women, on those who ruin kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. 5 For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. 6 Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress. 7 Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more. 8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. 9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

pervert: Heb. alter

any of the afflicted: Heb. all the sons of affliction, Habakkuk 2:5

Reciprocal: Leviticus 10:9 - Do not Numbers 6:3 - General Deuteronomy 24:17 - pervert Deuteronomy 27:19 - General 1 Kings 20:12 - drinking Proverbs 3:1 - forget Proverbs 23:33 - and Ecclesiastes 2:3 - yet Ecclesiastes 10:17 - and thy Isaiah 5:23 - justify Isaiah 28:7 - erred Isaiah 56:12 - I will Mark 6:21 - his birthday Titus 1:7 - not given to wine

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. "God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do," Abimelech said.
Genesis 31:2
And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban's attitude toward him.
Genesis 31:3
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you."
Genesis 31:13
I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.'"
Genesis 31:42
In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!"
Genesis 31:53
I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us." So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line.
Genesis 32:9
Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord , you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.' And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.'
Genesis 48:15
Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day,
Genesis 50:17
to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.' So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin." When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Lest they drink, and forget the law,.... The law of God by Moses, which the kings of Israel were obliged to write a copy of, and read over daily, to imprint it on their minds, that they might never forget it, but always govern according to it, Deuteronomy 17:18; or the law of their ancestors, or what was made by themselves, which through intemperance may be forgotten; for this sin stupefies the mind and hurts the memory, and makes men forgetful;

and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted; a king on the throne, or a judge on the bench, drunk, must be very unfit for his office; since he must be incapable of attending to the cause before him, of taking in the true state of the case; and, as he forgets the law, which is his rule of judgment, so he will mistake the point in debate, and put one thing for another; and "change" g and alter, as the word signifies, the judgment of the afflicted and injured person, and give the cause against him which should be for him; and therefore it is of great consequence that kings and judges should he sober. A certain woman, being undeservedly condemned by Philip king of Macedon, when drunk, said,

"I would appeal to Philip, but it shall be when he is sober;''

which aroused him; and, more diligently examining the cause, he gave, a more righteous sentence h.

g ישנה "mutet", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis "demutet", Schultens. h Valer. Maxim l. 6. c. 2. extern. 1.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 31:5. Lest they drink, and forget the law — When they should be administering justice, they are found incapable of it; or, if they go into the judgment-seat, may pervert justice.


 
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