章节研读
Sirach 26 — The Good Wife and Household Wisdom
A wisdom poem contrasting the good wife, who brings joy, peace, and blessing, with the wicked wife, who brings grief, shame, and ruin, closing with warnings about commerce and apostasy.
经文
- 1.好妻子的喜乐 有好妻子的丈夫是有福的，他的日子将加倍。The Joy of a Good Wife Happy is the husband of a good wife; the number of his days will be doubled.
- 2.一个贤惠的妻子使她的丈夫欢乐，他将在平安中度过他的年岁。A loyal wife rejoices her husband, and he will complete his years in peace.
- 3.一个好的妻子是一种伟大的祝福，她将在敬畏上帝的人所获得的祝福中被赐予。A good wife is a great blessing; she will be granted among the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
- 4.无论富贵或贫穷，他的心都很欢喜，时时刻刻他的脸都很愉快。Whether rich or poor, his heart is glad, and at all times his face is cheerful.
- 5.最大的祸害：恶妻 我心所畏惧的有三样，现在又加上一样，我都害怕：城里的谤言，暴徒的聚集，和诬告——所有这些都比死还要可怕。The Worst of Evils: A Wicked Wife Of three things my heart is afraid, and of a fourth I am frightened: The slander of a city, the gathering of a mob, and false accusation—all these are worse than death.
- 6.妻子对情敌心怀嫉妒，心中充满悲伤和痛苦，舌头上的责骂让所有人都知道。There is grief of heart and sorrow when a wife is envious of a rival, and a tongue-lashing makes it known to all.
- 7.恶妻如同磨盘上的牛轭，抓住她就像抓住蝎子。An evil wife is an ox yoke which chafes; taking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion.
- 8.妻子醉酒，令人发怒，她也不会隐藏自己的羞耻。There is great anger when a wife is drunken; she will not hide her shame.
- 9.妻子的淫荡从她贪婪的眼神中显现，并且可以从她的眼睑上看出来。A wife’s harlotry shows in her lustful eyes, and she is known by her eyelids.
- 10.要严格监督任性的女儿，否则，当她获得自由时，她会用它来伤害自己。Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter, lest, when she finds liberty, she use it to her hurt.
- 11.要提防她的厚颜无耻的眼神，不要惊讶如果她得罪了你。Be on guard against her impudent eye, and do not wonder if she sins against you.
- 12.就像口渴的旅客张开嘴巴，随便从附近的水中喝水一样，她也会坐在每个柱子前面，向箭张开她的箭囊。As a thirsty wayfarer opens his mouth and drinks from any water near him, so will she sit in front of every post and open her quiver to the arrow.
- 13.好妻子的福气 妻子的魅力使丈夫欢喜，她的技巧使他的骨头发肥。The Blessing of a Good Wife A wife’s charm delights her husband, and her skill puts fat on his bones.
- 14.默默的妻子是上帝的恩赐，没有什么比一个有节制的灵魂更宝贵。A silent wife is a gift of the Lord, and there is nothing so precious as a disciplined soul.
- 15.一个贤惠的妻子增加了魅力，任何衡量标准都无法衡量出一个贞洁的灵魂的价值。A modest wife adds charm to charm, and no balance can weigh the value of a chaste soul.
- 16.像主的高处升起的太阳一样，一位好妻子的美丽就在她井然有序的家中。Like the sun rising in the heights of the Lord, so is the beauty of a good wife in her well-ordered home.
- 17.就像圣灯台上的明灯一样，美丽的面容也装饰着高贵的身躯。Like the shining lamp on the holy lampstand, so is a beautiful face on a stately figure.
- 18.像金柱立在银座上，美丽的脚与坚定的心一样。Like pillars of gold on a base of silver, so are beautiful feet with a steadfast heart.
- 28.有三件事使我心中感到痛苦，还有一件事使我感到愤怒：贫穷中挣扎的勇士，聪明人被轻视；一个从义转向恶的人——上帝必将他交给刀剑！Three Depressing Things At two things my heart is grieved, and because of a third anger comes over me: a warrior in want through poverty, and intelligent men who are treated contemptuously; a man who turns back from righteousness to sin— the Lord will prepare him for the sword!
- 29.商业的诱惑 商人几乎不可能避免作恶，商贩也不会被宣告无罪。The Temptations of Commerce A merchant can hardly keep from wrongdoing, and a tradesman will not be declared innocent of sin.
这段经文的意思
Sirach 26 opens with a paired praise-and-blame structure characteristic of wisdom literature: a good wife doubles her husband's days and lets him complete his years in peace, while an evil wife is likened to a chafing ox yoke and a scorpion. The chapter organizes its material around the concrete effects a wife has on her husband's inner life (his heart is glad) and social life (his face is cheerful at all times), so the value of the wife is measured not by wealth or status but by character.
The middle section expands the images for the good wife into a chain of domestic comparisons: she is like the sun rising in the Lord's heights, a lamp on a holy lampstand, and pillars of gold on a base of silver. These temple and creation images signal that the well-ordered home is treated as a small sanctuary, and that the wife's chastity, modesty, and disciplined silence are not merely private virtues but have a kind of sacred order.
The final verses shift register to list what grieves the sage, including a warrior reduced to poverty, intelligent men despised, and a man who turns back from righteousness to sin, followed by a warning that merchants and tradesmen are rarely innocent of wrongdoing. Read together with the wife's-portrait, the chapter teaches that integrity in the home, in the marketplace, and before God are all part of the same demand for disciplined character.
背景
The chapter sits within a longer section of Sirach devoted to household conduct and is paired thematically with the instructions on daughters (vv. 10–12) and on silence and discipline. The notes supplied with the text identify this chapter as part of a backfill of remaining Sirach chapters outside the curated P0/P1 set, so the surrounding commentary, original-language data, and cross references are not provided for this page.
The English text as given supplies verses 1–18 and 28–29; verses 19–27 are not included in the provided material. Any interpretation should stay within the verses actually supplied and should not import claims about authorship, dating, or background beyond what is in the text itself.
常见问题
Why does Sirach 26 use such harsh language about an evil wife?
What is the point of the temple images used to describe the good wife?
Why does the chapter end with warnings about merchants and apostasy?