Ecclesiasticus, 19

1. A drunken workman will never grow rich, and one who makes light of small matters will gradually sink.

2. Wine and women corrupt intelligent men, the customer of whores loses all sense of shame.

3. Grubs and worms will have him as their legacy, and the man who knows no shame will lose his life.

4. Being too ready to trust shows shallowness of mind, and sinning harms the sinner.

5. Taking pleasure in evil earns condemnation;

6. by hating gossip one avoids evil.

7. Never repeat what you are told and you will come to no harm;

8. whether to friend or foe, do not talk about it, unless it would be sinful not to, do not reveal it;

9. you would be heard out, then mistrusted, and in due course you would be hated.

10. Have you heard something? Let it die with you. Courage! It will not burst you!

11. A fool will suffer birthpangs over a piece of news, like a woman labouring with child.

12. Like an arrow stuck in the flesh of the thigh, so is a piece of news inside a fool.

13. Question your friend, he may have done nothing at all; and if he has done anything, he will not do it again.

14. Question your neighbour, he may have said nothing at all; and if he has said anything, he will not say it again.

15. Question your friend, for slander is very common, do not believe all you hear.

16. People sometimes make a slip, without meaning what they say; and which of us has never sinned by speech?

17. Question your neighbour before you threaten him, and defer to the Law of the Most High.

18.

19.

20. Wisdom consists entirely in fearing the Lord, and wisdom is entirely constituted by the fulfilling of the Law.

21.

22. Being learned in evil, however, is not wisdom, there is no prudence in the advice of sinners.

23. There is a cleverness that is detestable; whoever has no wisdom is a fool.

24. Better be short of sense and full of fear, than abound in shrewdness and violate the Law.

25. There is a wickedness which is scrupulous but nonetheless dishonest, and there are those who misuse kindness to win their case.

26. There is the person who will walk bowed down with grief, when inwardly this is nothing but deceit:

27. he hides his face and pretends to be deaf, if he is not unmasked, he will take advantage of you.

28. There is the person who is prevented from sinning by lack of strength, yet he will do wrong when he gets the chance.

29. You can tell a person by his appearance, you can tell a thinker by the look on his face.

30. The way a person dresses, the way he laughs, the way he walks, tell you what he is.