Ben Sira 25:13-15
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Wicked and Virtuous Women[a]
13 Any wound, but not a wound of the heart!
Any wickedness, but not the wickedness of a woman!
14 Any suffering, but not suffering from one’s foes!
Any vengeance, but not the vengeance of one’s enemies!
15 There is no poison worse than that of a serpent,
no venom greater than that of a woman.
Footnotes
- 25:13–26 The harsh statements Ben Sira makes about women reflect the kind of instruction young Jewish males were exposed to in the early second century B.C. His patriarchal perspective is as unfair as it is one-sided.
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