| 1 Happy the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days; |
| 2 A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life. |
| 3 A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the LORD; |
| 4 Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face. |
| 5 There are three things at which my heart quakes, a fourth before which I quail: Though false charges in public, trial before all the people, and lying testimony are harder to bear than death, |
| 6 A jealous wife is heartache and mourning and a scourging tongue like the other three. |
| 7 A bad wife is a chafing yoke; he who marries her seizes a scorpion. |
| 8 A drunken wife arouses great anger, for she does not hide her shame. |
| 9 By her eyelids and her haughty stare an unchaste wife can be recognized. |
| 10 Keep a strict watch over an unruly wife, lest, finding an opportunity, she make use of it; |
| 11 Follow close if her eyes are bold, and be not surprised if she betrays you: |
| 12 As a thirsty traveler with eager mouth drinks from any water that he finds, So she settles down before every tent peg and opens her quiver for every arrow. |
| 13 A gracious wife delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones; |
| 14 A gift from the LORD is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth. |
| 15 Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste person. |
| 16 Like the sun rising in the LORD'S heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home. |
| 17 Like the light which shines above the holy lampstand, are her beauty of face and graceful figure. |
| 18 Golden columns on silver bases are her shapely limbs and steady feet. |
| 19 These two bring grief to my heart, and the third arouses my horror: A wealthy man reduced to want; illustrious men held in contempt; And the man who passes from justice to sin, for whom the LORD makes ready the sword. |
| 20 A merchant can hardly remain upright, nor a shopkeeper free from sin; |