Bible in Basic English
"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to take wine, or for rulers to say, Where is strong drink?"
— Proverbs 31:4, Bible in Basic English
The words of Lemuel, king of Massa: the teaching which he had from his mother.
What am I to say to you, O Lemuel, my oldest son? and what, O son of my body? and what, O son of my oaths?
Do not give your strength to women, or your ways to that which is the destruction of kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to take wine, or for rulers to say, Where is strong drink?
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.
Give strong drink to him who is near to destruction, and wine to him whose soul is bitter:
Let him have drink, and his need will go from his mind, and the memory of his trouble will be gone.