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Ben Sira 42:9-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 42:9-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
A Father’s Care for His Daughter[a]
9 A daughter is a treasure that keeps her father wakeful,
and worry over her drives away sleep:(A)
Lest in her youth she remain unmarried,
or when she is married, lest she be childless;
10 While unmarried, lest she be defiled,
or in her husband’s house, lest she prove unfaithful;
Lest she become pregnant in her father’s house,
or be sterile in that of her husband.
11 My son, keep a close watch on your daughter,
lest she make you a laughingstock for your enemies,
A byword in the city and the assembly of the people,
an object of derision in public gatherings.(B)
See that there is no lattice in her room,
or spot that overlooks the approaches to the house.
Footnotes
- 42:9–14 Ben Sira considers a daughter to be a source of anxiety to her father, lest she fail to marry, or be defiled, or lest, marrying, she be childless, prove unfaithful, or find herself sterile (vv. 9–10). He is advised to keep a close watch on her and on her companions, lest he suffer on her account among the people (vv. 11–12). The exhortations, which take into account only a father’s concern, are quite unflattering to young women. The concluding statements (vv. 13–14) show the limitations of Ben Sira’s perspective in the male-oriented society of his day.
Sirach 42:9-11
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 42:9-11
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Daughters and Fathers
9 A daughter is a secret anxiety to her father,
and worry over her robs him of sleep;
when she is young, for fear she may not marry,
or if married, for fear she may be disliked;
10 while a virgin, for fear she may be seduced
and become pregnant in her father’s house;
or having a husband, for fear she may go astray,
or, though married, for fear she may be barren.
11 Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter,
or she may make you a laughingstock to your enemies,
a byword in the city and the assembly of[a] the people,
and put you to shame in public gatherings.[b]
See that there is no lattice in her room,
no spot that overlooks the approaches to the house.[c]
Footnotes
- Sirach 42:11 Heb: Meaning of Gk uncertain
- Sirach 42:11 Heb: Gk to shame before the great multitude
- Sirach 42:11 Heb: Gk lacks See . . . house
Sirach 42:9-11
Good News Translation
Sirach 42:9-11
Good News Translation
Fathers and Daughters
9 (A)Although he will not let his daughter know it, a father will lie awake at night worrying about her. If she is young, he worries that she might not get married. If she is already married, he worries about her happiness. 10 If she is a virgin, he worries that she might be seduced and become pregnant while living in his house. If she is married, he worries that she might be unfaithful, or that she might not be able to have children.
11 Keep a close watch over your daughter if she is determined to have her own way. If you don't, she may make a fool of you in front of your enemies. You will be a constant joke to everyone in town, a public disgrace. Make sure that her room has no windows or any place where she can look out to the entrance of the house.[a]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Sirach 42:11 Hebrew Make sure...house; Greek does not have these words.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
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Good News Translation (GNT) 
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