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).