Wisdom of Ben Sira 19

New Catholic Bible

¹ A drunken workman^[a] will never grow rich,
    and carelessness in small matters will lead to one’s ruin.
² Wine and women lead intelligent men astray,
    and the man who consorts with prostitutes becomes ever more reckless.
³ Decay and worms will take possession of him,
    and because of his recklessness he will lose his life.

⁴ One who too readily trusts others displays a shallow intelligence,
    and one who sins does serious harm to himself.
⁵ One who rejoices in wickedness will suffer condemnation,
[^5b [c]but one who resists pleasures crowns his life.
^6a One who curbs the tongue lives without strife],
⁶     but by hating gossip he avoids evil.
⁷ Never repeat gossip,
    and you will come to no harm.
⁸ Report nothing accusatory to friend or foe;
    do not reveal anything unless it would be sinful for you not to do so.
⁹ For one may hear it and mistrust you
    and in time come to hate you.
¹⁰ Have you heard a rumor? Let it die with you;
    be assured, if you hold it in, it will not cause you to burst asunder.
¹¹ A fool who has heard something suffers birth pangs
    like a woman in labor with a child.
¹² Like an arrow lodged in a person’s thigh
    is gossip in the heart of a fool.

¹³ Question your friend—perhaps he may not have done what he is accused of,
    and if he has, your action may ensure that he will not do it again.
¹⁴ Question your neighbor—perhaps he may not have said what he is accused of,
    and if he has, your action may ensure that he will not say it again.
¹⁵ Question your friend—often he may be the victim of slander;
    you cannot believe everything you hear.
¹⁶ And of course a man may let something slip without intending to do so;
    is anyone’s tongue free of guilt?
¹⁷ Question your neighbor before you break with him,
    and thereby you will give due place to the law^[e] of the Most High.
^17c [f]Do not give in to anger.
¹⁸ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of his clemency,
    and wisdom wins his love.
¹⁹ The knowledge of the Lord’s commandments is life-giving instruction,
    and those who do what pleases him exult in the fruit of the tree of immortality.]

²⁰ All wisdom is the fear of the Lord,
    and it derives from the fulfillment of the law.
^[h][It also derives from the knowledge of his universal sovereignty.
²¹ If a servant says to his master,
    “I will not do what you want,”
even if later he does it,
    he angers the man who has him in his care.]
²² The knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom,
    nor is there prudence in the advice of sinners.
²³ There is a cleverness that is foul;
    however, he who does not have wisdom is a fool.
²⁴ It is better to be short of sense and God-fearing
    than to be highly intelligent and violate the law.
²⁵ There is a cleverness that is scrupulous but dishonest,
    and there are those who abuse favors to win a favorable decision.
²⁶ There is a wicked man who bows his head in mourning
    but is filled with guile within.
²⁷ He hides his face and pretends not to hear,
    but when no one is paying attention, he will take advantage of you.
²⁸ And if lack of strength prevents him from sinning,
    he will nevertheless do evil deeds at the first opportunity.
²⁹ You can learn a great deal about a man simply by observing his appearance;
    a sensible man is recognized as such when he is first encountered.
³⁰ A man’s attire and his hearty laughter,
    as well as the way he walks, reveal his character.