Good News Translation adds a paragraph break here to separate this verse from the numerical proverb that precedes it.

An evil wife is an ox yoke which chafes: Revised Standard Version misunderstands the image here, and Good News Translation‘s translation of the image is not clear. An ox yoke which chafes is literally “an ox yoke that goes back and forth,” that is, “a yoke that doesn’t fit” (Good News Translation). The point of the comparison is not that such a yoke hurts the ox. Perhaps it would, but ben Sira isn’t concerned at all about that. The point is that a loose-fitting yoke makes the ox hard for the farmer to control. Ben Sira is concerned with the convenience of the farmer (the husband), not the discomfort of the ox (the wife). An alternative model for this line is “Trying to control a bad wife is like trying to steer an ox with a yoke that isn’t tight enough.”

Taking hold of her is like grasping a scorpion: The Greek verb rendered grasping describes taking hold of the scorpion, not “holding” it (Good News Translation), though “holding onto” would work well. Trying to control a bad wife is like what would happen if you reached down and grabbed a scorpion. It would sting you and you would let go—quickly! In cultures where scorpions are unknown, translators may use a similar poisonous insect like a “spider,” or they may say “poisonous insect.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Trying to control a bad wife is like trying to steer an ox with a yoke that isn’t tight enough, like grabbing hold of a scorpion [or, poisonous insect].

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.