SIRACH 26

1Happy is the husband of a good wife;

And the number of his days shall be twofold.

2A brave woman rejoiceth her husband;

And he shall fulfil his years in peace.

3A good wife is a good portion:

She shall be given in the portion of such as fear the Lord.

4Whether a man be rich or poor,

A good heart maketh at all times a cheerful countenance.

5Of three things my heart was afraid;

And concerning the fourth 1 kind I made supplication:

The slander of a city, and the assembly of a multitude, and a false accusation:

All these are more grievous than death.

6A grief of heart and sorrow is a woman that is jealous of another woman,

And the scourge of a tongue communicating to all.

7A wicked woman is as a yoke of oxen shaken to and fro:

He that taketh hold of her is as one that graspeth a scorpion.

8A drunken woman causeth great wrath;

And she will not cover her own shame.

9The whoredom of a woman is in the lifting up of her eyes;

And it shall be known by her eyelids.

10Keep strict watch on a headstrong daughter,

Lest she find liberty for herself, and use it.

11Look well after an impudent eye;

And marvel not if it trespass against thee.

12She will open her mouth, as a thirsty traveller,

And drink of every water that is near:

At every post will she sit down,

And open her quiver against any arrow.

13The grace of a wife will delight her husband;

And her knowledge will fatten his bones.

14A silent woman is a gift of the Lord;

And there is nothing so much worth as a well-instructed soul.

15A shamefast woman is grace upon grace;

And there is no 2 price worthy of a continent soul.

16As the sun when it ariseth in the highest places of the Lord,

So is the beauty of a good wife in the ordering of 3 a man’s house.

17As the lamp that shineth upon the holy candlestick,

So is the beauty of the face in ripe age.

18As the golden pillars are upon a base of silver,

So are beautiful feet with the breasts of one that is stedfast. 19-274

28For two things my heart is grieved;

And for the third anger cometh upon me:

A man of war that suffereth for poverty;

And men of understanding that are counted as refuse:

One that turneth back from righteousness to sin;

The Lord shall prepare him for the sword.

29A merchant shall hardly keep himself from wrong doing;

And a huckster shall not be acquitted of sin.