Sirach 19

¹An inebriated worker will not be wealthy. And whoever despises littleness will fall a little at a time

²Wine and women cause wise men to fall away, and then they will complain against those who understand

³And whoever joins himself to fornicators will become wicked. Decay and worms will inherit him, and he will be denounced as the greater example, and his soul will be deducted from the number

⁴Whoever is quick to believe has a trivial heart and will be diminished. And whoever offends against his own soul will have even less

⁵Whoever rejoices in iniquity will be condemned. And whoever hates correction will have less in life. But whoever hates excessive talk extinguishes evil

⁶Whoever sins against his own soul will be punished. And whoever rejoices in malice will be condemned

⁷You should not repeat a wicked and harsh word, and then you will not be diminished

⁸Do not reveal your mind to friend or foe. And if there is a sin within you, do not disclose it

⁹For he will listen to you and watch you, and while pretending to defend your sin, he will despise you, and so he will be whenever he is with you

¹⁰Have you heard a word against your neighbor? Let it die within you, trusting that it will not burst forth from you

¹¹Before the face of a word, a foolish man labors, like a woman groaning as she gives birth to a child

¹²Like an arrow fixed in the flesh of the thigh, so is a word in the heart of a foolish man

¹³Correct a friend, though perhaps there was a misunderstanding, and he may say, “I did not do it.” Or, if he did do it, correct him, so that he may not do it again

¹⁴Correct your neighbor, for perhaps he did not say it. But if he did say it, correct him, so that he may not say it again

¹⁵Correct your friend. For often a fault has been committed

¹⁶And do not believe every word. There is one who slips with his word, but not with his heart

¹⁷For who is there who has not offended with his words? Correct your neighbor before you reprimand him

¹⁸And make a place for the fear of the Most High. For all wisdom is fear of God, and it is wise to fear God, and in all wisdom is the orderly disposition of the law

¹⁹But the discipline of wickedness is not wisdom. And there is no prudence in the thoughts of sinners

²⁰There is a wickedness, and in it there is abomination. And there is a foolish man who has been diminished in wisdom

²¹Better is a man who has been diminished in wisdom because his mind is failing, but with the fear of God, than he who abounds in intelligence, but with transgression against the law of the Most High

²²There is a certain cleverness, and it is unjust

²³And there is one who utters a careful word, explaining away the truth. There is one who humbles himself wickedly, for his interior is filled with deceit

²⁴And there is one who lowers himself excessively with a great debasement. And there is one who inclines his face downward, and pretends as if he did not see what has not been made known

²⁵And if he is prevented from sinning by a lack of ability, and then finds an opportunity for evildoing, he will do evil

²⁶A man is recognized by his appearances. But when you meet an understanding man, he is recognized by his face

²⁷The clothing of the body, and the laughter of the teeth, and the walk of a man, give a report about him

²⁸There is a lying correction in the anger of a contemptuous man. And there is a judgment which does not prove to be good. But there is one who is silent, and the same is prudent