New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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1 A good wife makes a happy husband;
she doubles the length of his life.
2 A staunch wife is her husband's joy;
he will live out his days in peace.
3 A good wife means a good life;
she is one of the Lord's gifts to those who fear him.
4 Rich or poor, they are light-hearted,
and always have a smile on their faces.
5 Three things there are that alarm me,
and a fourth I am afraid to face:
the scandal of the town, the gathering of a mob,
and calumny—all harder to bear than death;
6 but it is heart-ache and grief when a wife is jealous of a rival,
and everyone alike feels the lash of her tongue.
7 A bad wife is a chafing yoke;
controlling her is like clutching a scorpion.
8 A drunken wife is a great provocation;
she cannot keep her excesses secret.
9 A loose woman betrays herself by her bold looks;
you can tell her by her glance.
10 Keep close watch over a headstrong daughter;
if she finds you off your guard, she will take her chance.
11 Beware of her impudent looks
and do not be surprised if she disobeys you.
12 As a parched traveller with his tongue hanging out
drinks from any spring that offers,
she will open her arms to every embrace,
and her quiver to the arrow.
13 A wife's charm is the delight of her husband,
and her womanly skill puts flesh on his bones.
14 A silent wife is a gift from the Lord;
her restraint is more than money can buy.
15 A modest wife has charm upon charm;
no scales can weigh the worth of her chastity.
16 As beautiful as the sunrise in the Lord's heaven
is a good wife in a well-ordered home.
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Counsels upon social behaviour
17 As bright as the light on the sacred lamp-stand
is a beautiful face in the settled prime of life.
18 Like a golden pillar on a silver base
is a shapely leg with a firm foot. note note
28 Two things grieve my heart,
and a third excites my anger:
a soldier in distress through poverty,
wise men treated with contempt,
and a man deserting right conduct for wrong—
the Lord will bring him to the scaffold.
29 How hard it is for a merchant to keep clear of wrong
or for a shopkeeper to be innocent of dishonesty!
New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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