Sirach, Chapter 26
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1
A good wife, blessed is her husband,The number of his days is doubled.
2
A worthy wife cherishes her husband,And he fulfills the years of his life in peace.
3
A good wife is a good portion;She will be given as a portion to those who fear the Lord.
4
[Whether] rich or poor, his heart is cheerful,And his face is merry at all times.
5
Of three things my heart is afraid,And concerning a fourth I am in great fear:Slander in the city, an assembly of the multitude,And a false accusation; worse than death are they all;
6
Grief of heart and sorrow is a wife jealous of another;The scourge of the tongue are they all.
7
A hard yoke is a wicked woman;He who takes hold of her is as one grasping a scorpion.
8
A drunk woman causes great wrath;She does not cover her own shame.
9
The whoredom of a woman is in the lifting up of her eyes.And she is known by her eyelids.
10
Upon a headstrong daughter keep watch,Lest, finding liberty, she uses it for herself.
11
Look well after a shameless eye,And do not marvel if it trespasses against you;
12
As a thirsty traveller opens his mouth,And drinks of any water that is near,So she sits down at every tent peg,And opens her quiver to any arrow.
13
The grace of a wife delights her husband,And her understanding fattens his bones.
14
A silent woman is a gift from the Lord,And a well instructed soul is beyond worth.
15
Grace upon grace is a modest woman,And there is no weight [of gold] worth a self-controlled soul.
16
[As] the sun rising in the highest places of the Lord,[So] also is the beauty of a good wife in the ordering of her house.
17
[As] the lamp shining on the holy candlestick,[So] also is the beauty of a face upon a stately figure.
28
For two things my heart is grieved,And for a third wrath comes upon me:A rich man who has become poor,And men of understanding if they are despised,And one who turns from righteousness to sin;The Lord will prepare a sword for him.[fn]
29
With difficulty the merchant keeps himself from wrongdoing,And a huckster will not be acquitted of sin.
Footnotes
18
Verses 19-27 are not likely to be part of the original text.
28
One ancient translation: 'a rich man'; Greek 'man of war'.
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