Sirach 42:9–11

Daughters and Fathers

⁹A 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;^*

¹⁰while 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.^*

¹¹Keep 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^e the people,

and put you to shame in public gatherings.^f

See that there is no lattice in her room,

no spot that overlooks the approaches to the house.^g*