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Sirach 26

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1 γυναικὸς ἀγαθῆς μακάριος ὁ ἀνήρ καὶ ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτοῦ διπλάσιος 2 γυνὴ ἀνδρεία εὐφραίνει τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτοῦ πληρώσει ἐν εἰρήνῃ 3 γυνὴ ἀγαθὴ μερὶς ἀγαθή ἐν μερίδι φοβουμένων κύριον δοθήσεται 4 πλουσίου δὲ καὶ πτωχοῦ καρδία ἀγαθή ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ πρόσωπον ἱλαρόν

1 Happy the man that has a faithful wife; his span of days is doubled. 2 A wife industrious is the joy of her husband, and crowns all his years with peace. 3 He best thrives that best wives; where men fear God, this is the reward of their service, 4 good cheer given to rich and poor alike; day in, day out, never a mournful look.

1

Mulieris bonæ beatus vir:
numerus enim annorum illius duplex. 2
Mulier fortis oblectat virum suum,
et annos vitæ illius in pace implebit. 3
Pars bona mulier bona,
in parte timentium Deum dabitur viro pro factis bonis: 4
divitis autem et pauperis cor bonum,
in omni tempore vultus illorum hilaris.

5 ἀπὸ τριῶν εὐλαβήθη ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τετάρτῳ προσώπῳ ἐδεήθην 6 διαβολὴν πόλεως καὶ ἐκκλησίαν ὄχλου 7 καὶ καταψευσμόν ὑπὲρ θάνατον πάντα μοχθηρά 8 ἄλγος καρδίας καὶ πένθος γυνὴ 9 ἀντίζηλος ἐπὶ γυναικὶ καὶ μάστιξ γλώσσης πᾶσιν ἐπικοινωνοῦσα 10 βοοζύγιον σαλευόμενον γυνὴ πονηρά ὁ κρατῶν αὐτῆς ὡς ὁ δρασσόμενος σκορπίου 11 ὀργὴ μεγάλη γυνὴ μέθυσος καὶ ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτῆς οὐ συγκαλύψει 12 πορνεία γυναικὸς ἐν μετεωρισμοῖς ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς βλεφάροις αὐτῆς γνωσθήσεται 13 ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ ἀδιατρέπτῳ στερέωσον φυλακήν ἵνα μὴ εὑροῦσα ἄνεσιν ἑαυτῇ χρήσηται 14 ὀπίσω ἀναιδοῦς ὀφθαλμοῦ φύλαξαι καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἐὰν εἰς σὲ πλημμελήσῃ 15 ὡς διψῶν ὁδοιπόρος τὸ στόμα ἀνοίξει καὶ ἀπὸ παντὸς ὕδατος τοῦ σύνεγγυς πίεται κατέναντι παντὸς πασσάλου καθήσεται καὶ ἔναντι βέλους ἀνοίξει φαρέτραν

5 Three things daunt me somewhat, a fourth I dare not face. 6 Gossip of the streets, the judgement of the rabble, 7 and the false charge preferred, all these make death itself seem a light thing. 8 But there is no affliction wrings the heart like a woman’s jealousy; 9 once a woman grows jealous, her tongue is a scourge to all alike. 10 Easier to guide an unsteady team of oxen than an ill woman; easier to hold a snake than to manage her. 11 Woman that is a sot, vexation shall bring thee, and great dishonour; there is no hiding her shame. 12 Haughty gaze and lowered eye-lid, there goes a wanton. 13 Headstrong daughter must be held with a tight rein, or she will find opportunity to bestow her favours; 14 beware of that shameless eye, nor think it strange if she defies thee. 15 Reckless thou wilt find her as thirsty traveller that puts his mouth to the spring and drinks what water he can get; no stake but she will make fast by it, no arrow comes amiss to her archery, till of dalliance she has had enough.

5
A tribus timuit cor meum,
et in quarto facies mea metuit: 6
delaturam civitatis, et collectionem populi: 7
calumniam mendacem super mortem omnia gravia: 8
dolor cordis et luctus, mulier zelotypa. 9
In muliere zelotypa flagellum linguæ,
omnibus communicans. 10
Sicut boum jugum quod movetur, ita et mulier nequam:
qui tenet illam quasi qui apprehendit scorpionem. 11
Mulier ebriosa ira magna, et contumelia:
et turpitudo illius non tegetur. 12
Fornicatio mulieris in extollentia oculorum,
et in palpebris illius agnoscetur. 13
In filia non avertente se, firma custodiam,
ne inventa occasione utatur se. 14
Ab omni irreverentia oculorum ejus cave,
et ne mireris si te neglexerit. 15
Sicut 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.

16 χάρις γυναικὸς τέρψει τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ πιανεῖ 17 ἡ ἐπιστήμη αὐτῆς δόσις κυρίου 18 γυνὴ σιγηρά καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀντάλλαγμα πεπαιδευμένης ψυχῆς 19 χάρις ἐπὶ χάριτι γυνὴ αἰσχυντηρά 20 καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν σταθμὸς πᾶς ἄξιος ἐγκρατοῦς ψυχῆς 21 ἥλιος ἀνατέλλων ἐν ὑψίστοις κυρίου καὶ κάλλος ἀγαθῆς γυναικὸς ἐν κόσμῳ οἰκίας αὐτῆς 22 λύχνος ἐκλάμπων ἐπὶ λυχνίας ἁγίας καὶ κάλλος προσώπου ἐπὶ ἡλικίᾳ στασίμῃ 23 στῦλοι χρύσεοι ἐπὶ βάσεως ἀργυρᾶς καὶ πόδες ὡραῖοι ἐπὶ στέρνοις εὐσταθοῦς 24

16 Great content an industrious wife brings to her husband; health to every bone of his body 17 is that good sense of hers. No better gift of God to man 18 than a prudent woman that can hold her tongue; a soul well disciplined is beyond all price. 19 Grace so gracious is none as woman’s faithfulness and woman’s modesty; 20 woman’s continence there is no valuing. 21 Sun dawning in heaven cannot match the lustre a good wife sheds on her home, 22 and that beauty lasts into ripe age, like the glow of lights on the holy lamp-stand. 23 Firm as golden pillar in silver socket rest the feet of steadfast woman on the ground she treads; 24 and firm as foundations built for all time on solid rock is holy woman’s loyalty to God’s commandments.[1]

16
Gratia mulieris sedulæ delectabit virum suum,
et ossa illius impinguabit. 17
Disciplina illius datum Dei est. 18
Mulier sensata et tacita,
non est immutatio eruditæ animæ. 19
Gratia super gratiam
mulier sancta et pudorata. 20
Omnis autem ponderatio non est digna
continentis animæ. 21
Sicut sol oriens mundo in altissimis Dei,
sic mulieris bonæ species in ornamentum domus ejus. 22
Lucerna splendens super candelabrum sanctum,
et species faciei super ætatem stabilem. 23
Columnæ aureæ super bases argenteas,
et pedes firmi super plantas stabilis mulieris. 24
Fundamenta æterna supra petram solidam,
et mandata Dei in corde mulieris sanctæ.

25 ἐπὶ δυσὶ λελύπηται ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τρίτῳ θυμός μοι ἐπῆλθεν 26 ἀνὴρ πολεμιστὴς ὑστερῶν δ{I'} ἔνδειαν καὶ ἄνδρες συνετοὶ ἐὰν σκυβαλισθῶσιν 27 ἐπανάγων ἀπὸ δικαιοσύνης ἐπὶ ἁμαρτίαν ὁ κύριος ἑτοιμάσει εἰς ῥομφαίαν αὐτόν

25 Two sad sights my heart knows, and one more that fills it with indignation; 26 warrior left to starve, and wise counsellor unregarded, 27 and a man that leaves right living for ill-doing, ripe for God’s vengeance.

25

In duobus contristatum est cor meum,
et in tertio iracundia mihi advenit: 26
vir bellator deficiens per inopiam;
et vir sensatus contemptus; 27
et qui transgreditur a justitia ad peccatum:
Deus paravit eum ad rhomphæam.

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

28 Two dangers I see that are hard to overcome. How shall a merchant be cured of careless dealing, or a huckster for his lying talk find pardon?

28

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

[1] A few Greek manuscripts insert here nine more verses upon the subject of women.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd