Sirach 20

1 Some correction is inappropriate, while someone who remains silent may prove wise.

2 How much better it is to correct someone than to remain angry! Whoever admits a fault will be kept from loss.

3 How good it is to turn back when corrected! In this way you will escape deliberate sin.

4 A eunuch desiring to violate a young woman’s virginity is like someone who carries out judgments by violence.

5 One person remains silent and is considered wise, while another becomes hateful through constant chatter.

6 One person remains silent because he has no answer, while another remains silent because he knows the right time.

7 A wise person remains silent until the proper time, but a chatterer and a fool disregard the proper time.

8 Whoever talks excessively will become detestable, and whoever assumes authority for himself will be hated.

9 A person may prosper in misfortune, and a windfall may lead to loss.

10 One gift will not benefit you, while another will be repaid twofold.

11 One person is humbled for the sake of glory, while another raises his head from humiliation.

12 One person buys much for little and later repays sevenfold.

13 A wise person makes himself loved through his words, but the favors of fools are wasted.

14 A fool’s gift will not benefit you, for his eyes expect many things in return for one.

15 He gives little and reproaches much. He opens his mouth like a herald: today he lends, and tomorrow he demands repayment. Such a person is hateful.

16 The fool says, “I have no friend, and my good deeds find no favor.”

17 Those who eat his bread speak maliciously. How often, and by how many people, will he be mocked?

18 Slipping on the ground is better than slipping with the tongue; in the same way, the wicked will fall quickly.

19 An unpleasant person is like an ill-timed story that remains on the lips of the uninstructed.

20 A wise proverb is rejected when it comes from a fool’s mouth, for he does not speak it at the proper time.

21 Someone may be prevented from sinning by poverty; when he rests, his conscience does not trouble him.

22 One person destroys his own soul through shame before a fool.

23 Out of shame, someone makes a promise to a friend and needlessly turns him into an enemy.

24 A lie is an evil stain on a person, yet it remains continually on the lips of the uninstructed.

25 A thief is preferable to someone who lies continually, but both will inherit destruction.

26 A liar’s character is dishonorable, and his shame remains with him continually.

27 A wise person advances himself through his words, and an understanding person pleases the great.

28 Whoever works the land will raise a grain heap, and whoever pleases the great will obtain atonement for wrongdoing.

29 Hospitality gifts and presents blind the eyes of the wise and act like a muzzle that prevents correction.

30 What benefit is there in either hidden wisdom or an unseen treasure?

31 Someone who hides his foolishness is better than someone who hides his wisdom.

32 Patiently seeking the Lord is better than living without guidance.