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15 Drink water out of your own cistern,
    running water out of your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
    streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
    not for strangers with you.
18 Let your spring be blessed.
    Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe and a graceful deer—
    let her breasts satisfy you at all times.
    Be captivated always with her love.

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15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?(A)
17 Let them be for yourself alone
    and not for sharing with strangers.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,(B)
19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you at all times;
    may you be intoxicated always by her love.(C)

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15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
    your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
    never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain(A) be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.(B)
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer(C)
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love.

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16 A gracious woman obtains honor,
    but violent men obtain riches.

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16 A gracious woman gets honor,
    but she who hates virtue is covered with shame.[a]
The timid become destitute,[b]
    but the aggressive gain riches.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 11.16 Compare Gk Syr: Heb lacks but she . . . shame
  2. 11.16 Gk: Heb lacks The timid . . . destitute

16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,(A)
    but ruthless men gain only wealth.

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22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout,
    is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

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22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman without good sense.

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22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

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A worthy woman is the crown of her husband,
    but a disgraceful wife is as rottenness in his bones.

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A good wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.(A)

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A wife of noble character(A) is her husband’s crown,
    but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.(B)

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14 Every wise woman builds her house,
    but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

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14 The wise woman[a] builds her house,
    but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

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Footnotes

  1. 14.1 Heb Wisdom of women

14 The wise woman builds her house,(A)
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

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22 Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing,
    and obtains favor of Yahweh.

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22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing
    and obtains favor from the Lord.(A)

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22 He who finds a wife finds what is good(A)
    and receives favor from the Lord.(B)

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It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop
    than to share a house with a contentious woman.

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It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a contentious wife.(A)

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Better to live on a corner of the roof
    than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.(A)

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19 It is better to dwell in a desert land,
    than with a contentious and fretful woman.

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19 It is better to live in a desert land
    than with a contentious and fretful wife.

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19 Better to live in a desert
    than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.(A)

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24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop
    than to share a house with a contentious woman.

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24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a contentious wife.(A)

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24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
    than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.(A)

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