Sirach 25 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Those Who Are Worthy of Praise

25 I take pleasure in three things,
and they are beautiful in the sight of God and of mortals:^[a]
agreement among brothers and sisters, friendship among neighbors,
and a wife and a husband who live in harmony.^(A)
2 I hate three kinds of people,
and I loathe their manner of life:
a pauper who boasts, a rich person who lies,
and an old adulterer who lacks sense.^(B)

³ If you gathered nothing in your youth,
how can you find anything in your old age?^(C)
4 How attractive is sound judgment in gray-haired women
and for aged men to possess good counsel!^(D)
5 How attractive is wisdom in the aged
and understanding and counsel in the venerable!
⁶ Rich experience is the crown of the aged,
and their boast is the fear of the Lord.^(E)

⁷ I can think of nine whom I would call happy,
and a tenth my tongue proclaims:
a man who can rejoice in his children,
who lives to see the downfall of his foes.^(F)
8 Happy the man who lives with a sensible wife
and who does not plow with ox and ass together,^[b]
who does not slip with the tongue
and who has not become enslaved to an inferior.^(G)
9 Happy is the one who finds good sense
and the one who speaks to attentive listeners.^(H)
10 How great is the one who finds wisdom!
But none is superior to the one who fears the Lord.^(I)
11 Fear of the Lord surpasses everything;
to whom can we compare the one who has it?^[c](J)

Some Extreme Forms of Evil

¹³ Any wound, but not a wound of the heart!
Any wickedness, but not the wickedness of a woman!^(K)
14 Any suffering, but not suffering from those who hate!
And any vengeance, but not the vengeance of enemies!
¹⁵ There is no venom^[d] worse than a snake’s venom^[e]
and no anger worse than a woman’s^[f] wrath.

The Evil of a Wicked Woman

¹⁶ I would rather live with a lion and a dragon
than live with an evil woman.^(L)
17 A woman’s wickedness changes her appearance
and darkens her face like that of a bear.^(M)
18 Her husband sits^[g] among the neighbors,
and he cannot help sighing^[h] bitterly.
¹⁹ Any iniquity is small compared to a woman’s iniquity;
may a sinner’s lot befall her!^(N)
20 A sandy ascent for the feet of the aged—
such is a garrulous wife to a quiet husband.^(O)
21 Do not be ensnared by a woman’s beauty,
and do not desire a woman for her possessions.^[i](P)
22 There is wrath and impudence and great disgrace
when a wife supports her husband.
²³ Dejected mind, gloomy face,
and wounded heart come from an evil wife.
Drooping hands and weak knees
come from the wife who does not make her husband happy.^(Q)
24 From a woman sin had its beginning,
and because of her we all die.^(R)
25 Allow no outlet to water
and no boldness of speech to an evil wife.^(S)
26 If she does not go as you direct,
separate her from yourself.^(T)

Footnotes

1. 25.1Syr Lat: Gk In three things I was beautiful, and I stood in beauty before the Lord and mortals
2. 25.8Heb Syr: Gk lacks and the one who does not plow with ox and ass together
3. 25.11Other ancient authorities add as 25.12: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of love for him, and faith is the beginning of clinging to him.
4. 25.15Syr: Gk head
5. 25.15Syr: Gk head
6. 25.15Other ancient authorities read an enemy’s
7. 25.18Heb Syr: Gk loses heart
8. 25.18Other ancient authorities read and listening he sighs
9. 25.21Heb Syr: Gk lacks for her possessions

Cross references

1. 25.1 : Lev 19.18; Ps 133.1; Sir 26.1–3; Rom 12.10
2. 25.2 : Prov 17.7; Sir 20.24; 23.16
3. 25.3 : Prov 6.6–11
4. 25.4 : Job 32.7
5. 25.6 : Prov 16.31; Wis 8.8
6. 25.7 : Prov 10.1; 23.24
7. 25.8 : Deut 22.10; Sir 14.1
8. 25.9 : Prov 3.13
9. 25.10 : Prov 3.13; Sir 10.24
10. 25.11 : Sir 23.27; 40.26
11. 25.13 : v 19; Prov 18.14; Eccl 7.26; Sir 42.13
12. 25.16 : Prov 21.9, 19; 25.24
13. 25.17 : Prov 17.12; Eccl 7.26; Sir 42.13
14. 25.19 : v 13
15. 25.20 : Prov 21.19; Sir 26.27
16. 25.21 : Prov 6.25; Sir 9.8; 42.12
17. 25.23 : Job 4.3, 4; Isa 35.3; Heb 12.12
18. 25.24 : Gen 3.6; Rom 5.12; 1 Tim 2.14
19. 25.25 : Prov 17.14
20. 25.26 : Deut 24.1; Mt 19.7