1 A drunken worker will never be rich; he who is careless in small things will soon fall.
2 Wine and women corrupt the best of men; whoever frequents prostitutes loses all sense of shame.
3 He will be the victim of grubs and worms and lose his life because of his stupidity.
When to speak and when to be silent
4 He who is too quick to trust others reveals a shallow mind, whoever sins injures him self.
5 One who revels in pleasure will be condemned,
6 hating gossip will save one from evil.
7 Never repeat what you are told and you will come to no harm.
8 Report nothing to friend or foe and, unless silence is sinful, reveal it to no one.
9 They will listen, distrust you and you will end up being hated.
10 Have you heard something? Let it die with you, remain calm; you will not burst with it.
11 A fool suffers like a woman in childbirth over something he is told.
12 Like an arrow stuck in his thigh, such is a secret inside a fool.
13 Speak with your friend: perhaps he has done nothing and, if he has, he will not do it again.
14 Speak with your friend: perhaps he has not said anything and, if he has, he will not say it again.
15 Speak with your friend for there is much slander; do not believe all that you hear.
16 Often, unintentional slips are made; for who has never sinned by evil tongues?
17 Speak with your neighbor before you heap accusations on him; then leave room for the Law of the Almighty.
20 All wisdom is in the fear of the Lord; in all wisdom is the fulfillment of the Law.
22 Knowledge of evil is not wisdom, and pru dence is not found in the advice of sinners.
23 There is a cleverness that is loathsome; it belongs to the evildoer who lacks wisdom.
24 Better to lack sense and be full of the fear of the Lord, than to be clever in violating the Law.
25 There is an ingenious shrewdness which carries out injustice; it is the art of dissimu lating in order to do evil.
26 One pretends to be grieving and weighed down with burdens but in his heart there is only cunning;
27 he hides his face and pretends to be deaf, but as soon as you are distracted, he will take advantage of you.
28 One does not sin when the means are lack ing; at the first opportunity, he will do wrong.
29 You can tell a man by his appearance; the responsible man can be recognized by his face.
30 A man’s way of dressing reveals who he is, as does his manner of laughing and walking.
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Comments Sirach, Chapter 19
• 19.4 In many passages throughout the book of Sirach, as in Proverbs, the author shows that con trolling one’s tongue is a prerequisite for dom inating our person and our destiny (James 3).