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Those Who Are Worthy of Praise

25I take pleasure in three things,
   and they are beautiful in the sight of God and of mortals:^*
agreement among brothers and sisters, friendship among neighbours,
   and a wife and husband who live in harmony.
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 fool who commits adultery.

³ If you gathered nothing in your youth,
   how can you find anything in your old age?
⁴ How attractive is sound judgement in the grey-haired,
   and for the aged to possess good counsel!
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.

⁷ I can think of nine whom I would call blessed,
   and a tenth my tongue proclaims:
a man who can rejoice in his children;
   a man who lives to see the downfall of his foes.
⁸ Happy the man who lives with a sensible wife,
   and one who does not plough with ox and ass together.^*
Happy is one who does not sin with the tongue,
   and one who has not served an inferior.
⁹ Happy is one who finds a friend,^*
   and one who speaks to attentive listeners.
¹⁰ How great is one who finds wisdom!
   But none is superior to one who fears the Lord.
¹¹ Fear of the Lord surpasses everything;
   to whom can we compare one who has it?^*

Some Extreme Forms of Evil

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

The Evil of a Wicked Woman

¹⁶ I would rather live with a lion and a dragon
   than live with an evil woman.
¹⁷ A woman’s wickedness changes her appearance,
   and darkens her face like that of a bear.
¹⁸ Her husband sits^* among the neighbours,
   and he cannot help sighing^* bitterly.
¹⁹ Any iniquity is small compared to a woman’s iniquity;
   may a sinner’s lot befall her!
²⁰ A sandy ascent for the feet of the aged—
   such is a garrulous wife to a quiet husband.
²¹ Do not be ensnared by a woman’s beauty,
   and do not desire a woman for her possessions.^*
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.
²⁴ From a woman sin had its beginning,
   and because of her we all die.
²⁵ Allow no outlet to water,
   and no boldness of speech to an evil wife.
²⁶ If she does not go as you direct,
   separate her from yourself.