Ecclesiasticus / Sirach - The Old Testament

¹ How blessed is the husband of a really good wife; the number of his days will be doubled.

² A perfect wife is the joy of her husband, he will live out the years of his life in peace.

³ A good wife is the best of portions, reserved for those who fear the Lord;

⁴ rich or poor, their hearts will be glad, their faces cheerful, whatever the season.

⁵ There are three things that I dread, and a fourth which terrifies me: slander by a whole town, the gathering of a mob, and a false accusation -- these are all worse than death;

⁶ but a woman jealous of a woman means heartbreak and sorrow, and all this is the scourge of the tongue.

⁷ A bad wife is a badly fitting ox-yoke, trying to master her is like grasping a scorpion.

⁸ A drunken wife will goad anyone to fury, she cannot conceal her own degradation.

⁹ A woman's wantonness shows in her wide-eyed look, her eyelashes leave no doubt.

¹⁰ Keep a headstrong daughter under firm control, or, feeling free, she will take advantage of it.

¹¹ Keep a strict watch on her shameless eye, do not be surprised if she disgraces you.

¹² Like a thirsty traveller she will open her mouth and drink any water she comes across; she will sit down in front of every tent-peg and open her quiver to any arrow.

¹³ The grace of a wife will charm her husband, her understanding will make him the stronger.

¹⁴ A silent wife is a gift from the Lord, no price can be put on a well-trained character.

¹⁵ A modest wife is a boon twice over, a chaste character cannot be over-valued.

¹⁶ Like the sun rising over the mountains of the Lord, such is the beauty of a good wife in a well-run house.

¹⁷ Like a lamp shining on the sacred lamp-stand, such is a beautiful face on a well-proportioned body.

¹⁸ Like golden pillars on a silver base, such are shapely legs on firm-set heels.

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28</sup> There are two things which grieve my heart and a third arouses my anger: a warrior wasting away through poverty, the intelligent treated with contempt, someone turning back from virtue to sin -- the Lord marks out such a person for a violent death.

²⁹ It is difficult for a merchant to avoid doing wrong and for a trader not to incur sin.