Sirach 36:23-29

Wives, friends, and counselors

23 The stomach will accept any food, but one kind of food is better than another.

24 As the palate tastes different types of game, so an intelligent mind tests false words.

25 A perverse heart will cause grief, but an experienced person will know how to give payback.

26 A woman will accept any male as a husband, but some daughters are preferable to other ones.

27 A woman's beauty brightens a man's face, and she surpasses a man's every desire.

28 If her speech is characterized by mercy and gentleness, her husband is unlike anyone else.

29 Whoever acquires a wife takes his first step toward success. She will be a fit helper for him and a pillar of rest.

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX lacks tests.
• [b]. LXX lacks as a husband.
• [c]. Heb gets his best possession
• [d]. Heb pillar of support