Sirach · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Sirach 26 Revised Version with Apocrypha
Sirach is not in RV1909.
1 Happy is the husband of a good wife; And the number of his days shall be twofold.
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2 A brave woman rejoiceth her husband; And he shall fulfil his years in peace.
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3 A good wife is a good portion: She shall be given in the portion of such as fear the Lord.
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4 Whether a man be rich or poor, A good heart [maketh ] at all times a cheerful countenance.
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5 Of three things my heart was afraid; And concerning the fourth 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.
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6 A grief of heart and sorrow is a woman that is jealous of [another ] woman, And the scourge of a tongue communicating to all.
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7 A 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.
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8 A drunken woman [causeth ] great wrath; And she will not cover her own shame.
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9 The whoredom of a woman is in the lifting up of her eyes; And it shall be known by her eyelids.
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10 Keep strict watch on a headstrong daughter, Lest she find liberty for herself, and use it.
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11 Look well after an impudent eye; And marvel not if it trespass against thee.
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12 She 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.
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13 The grace of a wife will delight her husband; And her knowledge will fatten his bones.
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14 A silent woman is a gift of the Lord; And there is nothing so much worth as a well-instructed soul.
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15 A shamefast woman is grace upon grace; And there is no price worthy of a continent soul.
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16 As the sun when it ariseth in the highest places of the Lord, So is the beauty of a good wife in the ordering of a man’s house.
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17 As the lamp that shineth upon the holy candlestick, So is the beauty of the face in ripe age.
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18 As the golden pillars are upon a base of silver, So are beautiful feet with the breasts of one that is stedfast.
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19 Not in this translation
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28 For 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.
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29 A merchant shall hardly keep himself from wrong doing; And a huckster shall not be acquitted of sin.
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