Woman Wey Get Strength

E still dark. Di rest of di house still dey sleep. But one small clay lamp dey burn, and one woman don already wake up, her hands dey busy with wool, she dey plan di day wey dey come.

Di last chapter of Proverbs open for one unusual way. E talk say dese na di words of King Lemuel, words wey im mama teach am. We no know who Lemuel be, or where e rule. But we know say im mama care well well about di kind man wey e go become. She tell am make e talk for people wey no fit talk for demself, and make e defend di poor and di people wey dey in need. Then di book close with one poem wey praise woman wey get strength. For Hebrew, di phrase mean woman wey get value, wey get ability and strength. E start with question: Who fit find woman wey get virtue? Because her price high pass rubies.

Picture her life for one Israelite town of old. Before sun come out, she wake up to make sure say everybody for di house get food, including di servants. She choose wool and flax, and she dey work with hands wey dey willing, dey spin thread for spindle and dey weave cloth. She be like trading ship, na so di poem talk, wey dey bring food from far place, and dis one fit mean say she dey buy with wisdom for market. She look one land, think about am well, and buy am. With money wey she don work for, she plant vineyard. She dey make linen clothes and belts and sell dem to di traders. She see say her work good, and her lamp dey burn reach late for night. Dis one no be quiet, lazy life. She strong, she get skill, and she be business woman.

But her strength no be only about work. She stretch out her hand to di poor; yes, she reach out her hands to di people wey dey in need. Di same hands wey hold di spindle dey open to people wey need help. When cold season come and snow fall for di hills, she no dey worry, because everybody for her house wear warm red clothes. People dey respect her husband when e sit down with di elders for di city gate, and e trust her completely. Then two of di lines wey fine pass for di poem come. Strength and honour na her clothes; and she go rejoice for di time wey dey come. She fit laugh for di days wey dey ahead. And she dey open her mouth with wisdom; and di law of kindness dey for her tongue. When she talk, kindness dey come out.

For di end of di poem, her family stand up to talk. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband praise her too: plenty women don do wonderful things, but you pass all of dem. And then di poem tell us her secret. No be her fine face, and no be how she sweet for eye. Charm dey deceive, and beauty no dey last: but woman wey fear Di Lord, na she people go praise. To fear Di Lord mean to honour am and trust am with deep respect. Na from there her strength dey come. Di last line ask make dem praise her for public: give her di reward of her hands, and make her own works praise her for di gates.

Dem build dis poem like alphabet. For Hebrew, im twenty-two verses, each one dey start with di next letter of di Hebrew alphabet, from aleph reach tav. Dem dey call dis kind poem acrostic. E make di poem easy to learn by heart, and e carry di sense say e complete: picture of wisdom from A reach Z. Di book of Proverbs, wey start by showing wisdom like woman wey dey call for di streets, end with dis alphabet of di life of one wise woman.

You go find dis poem for Proverbs chapter thirty-one, verse ten reach thirty-one. Picture of strength, skill, open hand and kindness, wey im root dey inside honour for God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who be one person wey strong and kind for your life, and how you fit thank am dis week?