Sirach 26

1Happy is the husband of a good wife: for the number of his years is double.

2A virtuous woman rejoiceth her husband, and shall fulfil the years of his life in peace.

3A good wife is a good portion, she shall be given in the portion of them that fear God, to a man for his good deeds.

4Rich or poor, if his heart is good, his countenance shall be cheerful at all times.

5Of three things my heart hath been afraid, and at the fourth my face hath trembled:

6The accusation of a city, and the gathering together of the people:

7And a false calumny, all are more grievous than death.

8A jealous woman is the grief and mourning of the heart.

9With a jealous woman is a scourge of the tongue which communicateth with all.

10As a yoke of oxen that is moved to and fro, so also is a wicked woman: he that hath hold of her, is as he that taketh hold of a scorpion.

11A drunken woman is a great wrath: and her reproach and shame shall not be hid.

12The fornication of a woman shall be known by the haughtiness of her eyes and by her eyelids.

13On a daughter that turneth not away herself, set a strict watch: lest finding an opportunity she abuse herself.

14Take heed of the impudence of her eyes, and wonder not if she slight thee.

15She will open her mouth as a thirsty traveller to the fountain, and will drink of every water near her, and will sit down by every hedge, and open her quiver against every arrow, until she fail.

16The grace of a diligent woman shall delight her husband, and shall fat his bones.

17Her discipline is the gift of God.

18Such is a wise and silent woman, and there is nothing so much worth as a well instructed soul.

19A holy and shamefaced woman is grace upon grace.

20And no price is worthy of a continent soul.

21As the sun when it riseth to the world in the high places of God, so is the beauty of a good wife for the ornament of her house.

22As the lamp shining upon the holy candlestick, so is the beauty of the face in a ripe age,

23As golden pillars upon bases of silver, so are the firm feet upon the soles of a steady woman.

24As everlasting foundations upon a solid rock, so the commandments of God in the heart of a holy woman.

25At two things my heart is grieved, and the third bringeth anger upon me.

26A man of war fainting through poverty, and a man of sense despised:

27And he that passeth over from justice to sin, God hath prepared such an one for the sword.

28Two sorts of callings have appeared to me hard and dangerous: a merchant is hardly free from negligence: and a huckster shall not be justified from the sins of the lips.

1Mulieris bonæ beatus vir : numerus enim annorum illius duplex.

2Mulier fortis oblectat virum suum, et annos vitæ illius in pace implebit.

3Pars bona mulier bona, in parte timentium Deum dabitur viro pro factis bonis :

4divitis autem et pauperis cor bonum, in omni tempore vultus illorum hilaris.

5A tribus timuit cor meum, et in quarto facies mea metuit :

6delaturam civitatis, et collectionem populi :

7calumniam mendacem super mortem omnia gravia:

8dolor cordis et luctus, mulier zelotypa.

9In muliere zelotypa flagellum linguæ, omnibus communicans.

10Sicut boum jugum quod movetur, ita et mulier nequam : qui tenet illam quasi qui apprehendit scorpionem.

11Mulier ebriosa ira magna, et contumelia : et turpitudo illius non tegetur.

12Fornicatio mulieris in extollentia oculorum, et in palpebris illius agnoscetur.

13In filia non avertente se, firma custodiam, ne inventa occasione utatur se.

14Ab omni irreverentia oculorum ejus cave, et ne mireris si te neglexerit.

15Sicut viator sitiens ad fontem os aperiet, et ab omni aqua proxima bibet, et contra omnem palum sedebit, et contra omnem sagittam aperiet pharetram donec deficiat.

16Gratia mulieris sedulæ delectabit virum suum, et ossa illius impinguabit.

17Disciplina illius datum Dei est.

18Mulier sensata et tacita, non est immutatio eruditæ animæ.

19Gratia super gratiam mulier sancta et pudorata.

20Omnis autem ponderatio non est digna continentis animæ.

21Sicut sol oriens mundo in altissimis Dei, sic mulieris bonæ species in ornamentum domus ejus.

22Lucerna splendens super candelabrum sanctum, et species faciei super ætatem stabilem.

23Columnæ aureæ super bases argenteas, et pedes firmi super plantas stabilis mulieris.

24Fundamenta æterna supra petram solidam, et mandata Dei in corde mulieris sanctæ.

25In duobus contristatum est cor meum, et in tertio iracundia mihi advenit :

26vir bellator deficiens per inopiam; et vir sensatus contemptus;

27et qui transgreditur a justitia ad peccatum : Deus paravit eum ad rhomphæam.

28Duæ species difficiles et periculosæ mihi apparuerunt : difficile exuitur negotians a negligentia, et non justificabitur caupo a peccatis labiorum.

1γυναικὸς ἀγαθῆς μακάριος ὁ ἀνήρ καὶ ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτοῦ διπλάσιος

2γυνὴ ἀνδρεία εὐφραίνει τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ πληρώσει ἐν εἰρήνῃ

3γυνὴ ἀγαθὴ μερὶς ἀγαθή ἐν μερίδι φοβουμένων κύριον δοθήσεται

4πλουσίου δὲ καὶ πτωχοῦ καρδία ἀγαθή ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ πρόσωπον ἱλαρόν

5ἀπὸ τριῶν εὐλαβήθη ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τετάρτῳ προσώπῳ ἐδεήθην

6διαβολὴν πόλεως καὶ ἐκκλησίαν ὄχλου

7καὶ καταψευσμόν ὑπὲρ θάνατον πάντα μοχθηρά

8ἄλγος καρδίας καὶ πένθος γυνὴ

9ἀντίζηλος ἐπὶ γυναικὶ καὶ μάστιξ γλώσσης πᾶσιν ἐπικοινωνοῦσα

10βοοζύγιον σαλευόμενον γυνὴ πονηρά ὁ κρατῶν αὐτῆς ὡς ὁ δρασσόμενος σκορπίου

11ὀργὴ μεγάλη γυνὴ μέθυσος καὶ ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτῆς οὐ συγκαλύψει

12πορνεία γυναικὸς ἐν μετεωρισμοῖς ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς βλεφάροις αὐτῆς γνωσθήσεται

13ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ ἀδιατρέπτῳ στερέωσον φυλακήν ἵνα μὴ εὑροῦσα ἄνεσιν ἑαυτῇ χρήσηται

14ὀπίσω ἀναιδοῦς ὀφθαλμοῦ φύλαξαι καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐὰν εἰς σὲ πλημμελήσῃ

15ὡς διψῶν ὁδοιπόρος τὸ στόμα ἀνοίξει καὶ ἀπὸ παντὸς ὕδατος τοῦ σύνεγγυς πίεται κατέναντι παντὸς πασσάλου καθήσεται καὶ ἔναντι βέλους ἀνοίξει φαρέτραν

16χάρις γυναικὸς τέρψει τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ πιανεῖ

17ἡ ἐπιστήμη αὐτῆς δόσις κυρίου

18γυνὴ σιγηρά καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀντάλλαγμα πεπαιδευμένης ψυχῆς

19χάρις ἐπὶ χάριτι γυνὴ αἰσχυντηρά

20καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν σταθμὸς πᾶς ἄξιος ἐγκρατοῦς ψυχῆς

21ἥλιος ἀνατέλλων ἐν ὑψίστοις κυρίου καὶ κάλλος ἀγαθῆς γυναικὸς ἐν κόσμῳ οἰκίας αὐτῆς

22λύχνος ἐκλάμπων ἐπὶ λυχνίας ἁγίας καὶ κάλλος προσώπου ἐπὶ ἡλικίᾳ στασίμῃ

23στῦλοι χρύσεοι ἐπὶ βάσεως ἀργυρᾶς καὶ πόδες ὡραῖοι ἐπὶ στέρνοις εὐσταθοῦς

25ἐπὶ δυσὶ λελύπηται ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τρίτῳ θυμός μοι ἐπῆλθεν

26ἀνὴρ πολεμιστὴς ὑστερῶν δι' ἔνδειαν καὶ ἄνδρες συνετοὶ ἐὰν σκυβαλισθῶσιν

27ἐπανάγων ἀπὸ δικαιοσύνης ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίαν ὁ κύριος ἑτοιμάσει εἰς ῥομφαίαν αὐτόν

28μόλις ἐξελεῖται ἔμπορος ἀπὸ πλημμελείας καὶ οὐ δικαιωθήσεται κάπηλος ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας