Ecclesiasticus / Sirach - Chapter 22

¹ An idler is like a stone covered in filth, everyone whistles at his disgrace.

² An idler is like a lump of dung, anyone picking it up shakes it off his hand.

³ It is a disgrace to have fathered a badly brought-up son, but the birth of any daughter is a loss;

⁴ a sensible daughter will find a husband, but a shameless one is a grief to her father.

⁵ A brazen daughter puts father and mother to shame, and will be disowned by both.

⁶ An untimely remonstrance is like music at a funeral, but a thrashing and correction are wisdom at all times.

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⁹ Teaching a fool is like gluing bits of pottery together -- you are rousing someone who is besotted with sleep.

¹⁰ You might as well talk to someone sound asleep; when you have finished the fool will say, 'What's up?'

¹¹ Shed tears for the dead, who has left the light behind; shed tears for the fool, who has left his wits behind. Shed quieter tears for the dead who is at rest, for the fool life is worse than death.

¹² Mourning for the dead lasts seven days, for the foolish and ungodly all the days of their lives.

¹³ Do not waste many words on the stupid, do not go near a dolt. Beware of him, or you will have trouble and be soiled by contact with him; keep away from him, and you will have peace of mind and not be exasperated by his folly.

¹⁴ What is heavier than lead, and what is its name if not 'fool'?

¹⁵ Sand and salt and a lump of iron are a lighter burden than a dolt.

¹⁶ A tie-beam bonded into a building will not be dislodged by an earthquake; so too, a heart resolved after due reflection will not flinch at the critical moment.

¹⁷ A heart founded on intelligent reflection is like a stucco decoration on a smooth wall.

¹⁸ Pebbles placed on top of a wall will not stand up to the wind; no more can the heart of a fool frightened at his own thoughts stand up to fear.

¹⁹ Prick an eye and you will draw a tear, prick a heart and you reveal its feelings.

²⁰ Throw stones at birds and you scare them away, reproach a friend and you destroy a friendship.

²¹ If you have drawn your sword on a friend, do not despair; there is a way back.

²² If you have opened your mouth against your friend, do not worry; there is hope for reconciliation; but insult, arrogance, betrayal of secrets, and the stab in the back -- in these cases any friend is lost.

²³ Win your neighbour's confidence when he is poor, so that you may enjoy his later good fortune with him; stand by him in times of trouble, in order to have your share when he comes into a legacy.

²⁴ Fire is heralded by the reek of the furnace and smoke, so too, bloodshed by insults.

²⁵ I shall not be ashamed to shelter a friend nor shall I hide away from him,

²⁶ and if evil comes to me through him, everyone who hears about it will beware of him.

²⁷ Who will set a guard on my mouth, and an efficient seal on my lips, to keep me from falling, and my tongue from causing my ruin?

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