Proverbs31:18

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Translation

She perceives

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that her profits

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are pleasing.

Her lamp is not extinguished by night.

Paraphrase

She takes notice of and finds pleasure in the fact that her efforts to save and to produce have generated a profit because it exceeds the amount they consume and thus they have an overage just like she desired. Even after dark, when most others have ceased working, she is still making good use of her time to be productive.

Footnotes

1

Although the context here calls for “perceives,” this word also means “taste,” which is closely associated with “enjoyment and pleasure” (why would someone continue eating something that causes displeasure?) I have placed the idea of noticing and the idea of enjoying in the paraphrase because the original audience would have thought of both aspects of this word.

2: “profits”

This word can point to the actions involved in earning money, such as “commerce, or business,” or to the final product which one hopes will be “gain and profit.” I think the emphasis here is on the final result because the only reason one makes the effort to do the work is to experience gains.