Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 26

¹ Happy 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; rich or poor,

⁴ they will be glad of heart, cheerful of face, whatever the season.

⁵ There are three things my heart dreads, 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 makes no effort to hide her degradation.

⁹ A woman’s wantonness shows in her bold look, and can be recognised by her sidelong glances.

¹⁰ Keep a headstrong daughter under firm control, or she will abuse any indulgence she receives.

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 in front of every peg, and open her quiver to any arrow.

¹³ The grace of a wife will charm her husband, her accomplishments 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 weighed on scales.

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

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

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

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

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