“Do not be ensnared
By a woman’s beauty!
Do not desire a woman
For her possessions!
There is wrath
When a wife
Supports her husband.
There is impudence
When a wife
Supports her husband.
There is a great disgrace
When a wife
Supports her husband.”
You should not be trapped by a woman’s beauty. You should not desire any woman for her possessions or dowry. Now in something that might seem strange today with stay at home dads, Sirach condemns this behavior. A wife should not support her husband, because that is a rage, disrespectful, and a great disgrace, pure and simple. Of course, that was the common attitude in a male dominated society.