Ben Sira 26

Ben Sira 25 Ben Sira 27

Ben Sira 26 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Chapter 26

¹Happy the husband of a good wife;^[a]
    the number of his days will be doubled.
²A loyal wife brings joy to her husband,
    and he will finish his years in peace.
³A good wife is a generous gift
    bestowed upon him who fears the Lord.
⁴Whether rich or poor, his heart is content,
    a smile ever on his face.

⁵There are three things I dread,
    and a fourth which terrifies me:
Public slander, the gathering of a mob,
    and false accusation—all harder to bear than death.
⁶A wife jealous of another wife is heartache and mourning;^[b]
    everyone feels the lash of her tongue.

⁷A wicked wife is a chafing yoke;
    taking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion.
⁸A drunken wife arouses great anger,
    for she does not hide her shame.
⁹By her haughty stare and her eyelids
    an unchaste wife can be recognized.

¹⁰Keep a strict watch over an unruly wife,
    lest, finding an opportunity, she use it;
¹¹Watch out for her impudent eye,
    and do not be surprised if she betrays you:
¹²As a thirsty traveler opens his mouth
    and drinks from any water nearby,
So she sits down before every tent peg
    and opens her quiver for every arrow.

¹³A gracious wife delights her husband;
    her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones.
¹⁴A silent wife is a gift from the Lord;
    nothing is worth more than her self-discipline.
¹⁵A modest wife is a supreme blessing;
    no scales can weigh the worth of her chastity.
¹⁶The sun rising in the Lord’s heavens—
    the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.
¹⁷The light which shines above the holy lampstand—^[c]
    a beautiful face on a stately figure.
¹⁸Golden columns on silver bases—
    so her shapely legs and steady feet.^[d]

Dangers to Integrity and Friendship

²⁸^[e]Two things bring grief to my heart,
    and a third arouses my anger:
The wealthy reduced to want,
    the intelligent held in contempt,
And those who pass from righteousness to sin—
    the Lord prepares them for the sword.

²⁹A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing,
nor can a shopkeeper stay free from sin;

Footnotes:

26:1–4, 13–18 A good wife is as a gift from God, bringing joy and peace, happiness and contentment to her husband (vv. 1–4) through her thoughtfulness, reserve, modesty and chastity, beauty, grace, and virtue (vv. 13–18).
26:6–12 A repetition of the thought expressed in 25:13–26.
26:17–18 The lampstand and the columns were located in the holy place of the ancient tabernacle (Ex 25:31–40; 26:32).
26:18
Other ancient texts read as vv. 19–27:
¹⁹My child, keep intact the bloom of your youth,
and do not give your strength to strangers.
²⁰Seek out a fertile field from all the land,
and sow it with your own seed, confident in your fine stock.
²¹So shall your offspring prosper,
and grow great, confident in their good descent.
²²A woman for hire is regarded as spittle,
but a married woman is a deadly snare for her lovers.
²³A godless wife will be given to the lawless man as his portion,
but a godly wife will be given to the man who fears the Lord.
²⁴A shameless woman wears out reproach,
but a virtuous daughter will be modest even before her husband.
²⁵A headstrong wife is regarded as a bitch,
but the one with a sense of shame fears the Lord.
²⁶The wife who honors her husband will seem wise to everyone,
but if she dishonors him in her pride, she will be known to everyone as ungodly.
Happy is the husband of a good wife,
for the number of his years will be doubled.
²⁷A loud-mouthed and garrulous wife will be regarded
as a trumpet sounding the charge,
And every person who lives like this
will spend his life in the anarchy of war.
26:28–27:15 From proper conduct in family life, Ben Sira proceeds to social morality, warning especially against injustice in business (26:29–27:3), and perversity of speech in daily life (27:4–7). The pursuit of justice in these matters is all the more meritorious as it is difficult (27:8–10). The discourses of the godly are marked with wisdom, but the conversations of the wicked with offense, swearing, cursing, quarrels, and even bloodshed (27:11–15).

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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