Sirach 36
The passage is a prayer to God, asking for mercy and favor, and for the Gentiles to acknowledge God's power and greatness. It also asks for God's wrath to be poured out on enemies and for the protection of God's people, Israel. The passage then shifts to a discussion on the importance of a good wife, comparing her to a possession and a pillar of rest, and stating that a man who holds to a good wife is fortunate.
1O God of all, take pity on us, and look with favor on us, and show us the light of your compassion2And send your fear upon the Gentiles, who have not sought you, so that they may acknowledge that there is no God except you, and so that they may declare your great deeds3Lift up your hand over unbelieving nations, so that they may see your power4For just as, in their sight, you have been sanctified in us, so also, in our sight, you will be magnified in them5So may they know you, as we also have known you. For there is no God apart from you, O Lord6Renew your signs, and work new wonders7Glorify your hand and your right arm8Stir up your fury, and pour out your wrath9Take away our adversary, and afflict our enemy10Hasten the time, and remember the end, so that they may declare your miracles11Let those who escape be devoured by the wrath of fire. And let those who harass your people find perdition12Crush the head of the leaders of the enemies, for they say: "There is no other beside us.13Gather together all the tribes of Jacob, so that they may acknowledge that there is no God except you, and so that they may declare your great deeds. And you will inherit them, as from the beginning14Take pity on your people, over whom your name has been invoked, and on Israel, whom you have treated as your firstborn15Take pity on Jerusalem, the city of your sanctification, the city of your rest16Fill Zion with your ineffable words, and fill your people with your glory17Give testimony to those who have been your creations from the beginning, and lift up the prophecies which the former prophets spoke in your name18Give a reward to those who endure for you, so that your prophets may be found to be faithful. And heed the prayers of your servants19in accord with the blessing of Aaron over your people. And direct us in the way of justice, and let all who inhabit the earth know that you are God, the Beholder of all ages20The belly can devour any food, yet one meal is better than another21The palate tests the meat of wild animals, and the understanding heart tests false words22A corrupt heart will cause grief, and a man of experience will resist it23A woman can receive any male, yet one daughter is better than another24The beauty of a wife cheers the face of her husband, and rises above his desire, above all the desires of man25If she offers healing words, then she both comforts and shows mercy; and so her husband is not like other men26He who holds to a good wife establishes a possession. She is a helper in agreement with him, and she is a pillar of rest27Where there is no hedge, a possession will be trampled. And where there is no wife, he will mourn her absence28Who will trust one who has no nest, and who conceals himself wherever his course may take him, like a well-equipped robber passing from city to city
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