Ecclesiasticus 25

¹In three things my spirit is pleased, which are approved before God, and men:

²The concord of brethren, and the love of neighbours, and man and wife well agreeing together.

³Three sorts my soul hateth, and I am greatly grieved at their life:

⁴A poor man proud: & a rich man a liar: an old man a fool, and doting.

⁵The things that thou hast not gathered in thy youth, how shalt thou find them in thy old age?

⁶How beautiful is judgement for a gray head, and for ancients to know counsel!

⁷How beautiful is wisdom for the aged, & understanding glorious, and counsel!

⁸Much cunning is the crown of old men, and the fear of God is their glory.

⁹Nine things not to be imagined of the heart have I magnified, and the tenth I will tell unto men with my tongue:

¹⁰Aman that hath joy in his children; living and seeing the subversion of his enemies.

¹¹Blessed is he that dwelleth with a wise woman; & that hath not offended with his tongue; and that hath not served such as are unworthy of him.

¹²Blessed is he that findeth a true friend; and that declareth justice to an ear that heareth.

¹³How great is he, that findeth wisdom and knowledge; but he is not above him that feareth our Lord.

¹⁴The fear of God hath set it-self above all things:

¹⁵blessed is the man, to whom is given to have the fear of God: he that holdeth it, to whom shall he be resembled?

¹⁶The fear of God is the beginning of his love: and the beginning of faith is to be fast joined unto it.

¹⁷The heaviness of the heart is all plague: & all malice, the wickedness of a woman.

¹⁸And he will see all plague, and not the plague of the heart:

¹⁹& all wickedness, & not the wickedness of a woman:

²⁰and all obduction and not the obduction of them that hate him:

²¹and all revenge, and not the revenge of the enemies.

²²There is no head worse than the head of a serpent:

²³and there is no anger above the anger of a woman. It shall be more pleasant to abide with a lion and dragon, than to dwell with a wicked woman.

²⁴The wickedness of a woman changeth her face: and darkeneth her countenance as a bear: and will shew it as a sack. In the midst of her neighbours,

²⁵her husband groaned, and hearing he sighed a little.

²⁶All malice is short to the malice of a woman, the lot of sinners fall upon her.

²⁷As the going up a gravelly way in the feet of the aged, so a woman full of tongue to a quiet man.

²⁸Look not upon a woman's beauty, and desire not a woman for beauty.

²⁹Awoman's anger, and impudency, and confusion is great.

³⁰A woman if she have superiority, is contrary to her husband.

³¹An humbled heart, and heavy countenance, and plague of heart, is a wicked woman.

³²Feeble hands, and disjointed knees, a woman that doth not make her husband happy.

³³From woman came the beginning of sin, and by her we do all die.

³⁴Give not issue to thy water, no not a little: nor to a wicked woman leave to go forth.

³⁵If she walk not at thine hand, she will confound thee in the sight of thine enemies.

³⁶Cut her off from thy flesh, lest she always abuse thee.