“She rises while it is yet night”: This is not very natural in English. It is better expressed as “She gets up while it is still dark” (New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version) or “She gets up before daylight” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Many languages have special terms or expressions for times of the day before sunrise, and these may be used here; for example, “the crack of dawn” (English), “when it is not full daylight yet,” or “when daylight has not broken.”

“And provides food for her household”: “Her household” means the members of her family (see 11.29). The reason why she rises early is to “provide food”, that is, to begin preparation of food for them. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version express this line as “to prepare food for her family.”

“And tasks for her maidens”: This is a second responsibility that the housewife attends to at the beginning of the day. The Hebrew word translated “tasks” can mean “what is decreed” or “what is due”; it sometimes refers to laws or decrees, but it also often refers to a portion or an allowance of food. Both of these possibilities are appropriate in this context, and so there are two different translation possibilities. Along with Revised Standard Version “tasks”, New Jerusalem Bible says “giving orders,” Scott “give instructions,” and Good News Translation “tell her servant women what to do.” Translations that take the term to refer to food are “(food for her family) and portions for her servant girls” (New International Version) and “with a due share for her servants” (Revised English Bible). “Her maidens”, as in 27.27, is a feminine noun referring to “her servant women” (Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .