26:1 Happy the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days;
26:2 A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life.
26:3 A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the LORD;
26:4 Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face.
26:5 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,
26:6 A jealous wife is heartache and mourning and a scourging tongue like the other three.
26:7 A bad wife is a chafing yoke; he who marries her seizes a scorpion.
26:8 A drunken wife arouses great anger, for she does not hide her shame.
26:9 By her eyelids and her haughty stare an unchaste wife can be recognized.
26:10 Keep a strict watch over an unruly wife, lest, finding an opportunity, she make use of it;
26:11 Follow close if her eyes are bold, and be not surprised if she betrays you:
26:12 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.
26:13 A gracious wife delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones;
26:14 A gift from the LORD is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth.
26:15 Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste person.
26:16 Like the sun rising in the LORD’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.
26:17 Like the light which shines above the holy lampstand, are her beauty of face and graceful figure.
26:18 Golden columns on silver bases are her shapely limbs and steady feet.
26:19 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.
26:20 A merchant can hardly remain upright, nor a shopkeeper free from sin;