Sirach 22

A slothful man is compared to a filthy stone,

And every one will hiss him out to his disgrace.

²A slothful man is compared to the filth of a dunghill:

Every man that takes it up will shake his hand.

^3aAn evil nurtured son is the dishonour of his father that begat him:

And a foolish daughter is born to his loss.

⁴A wise daughter ^bshall bring an inheritance to her husband:

But she that liveth dishonestly is her father’s heaviness.

⁵She that is bold dishonoureth both her father and her husband,

But they both shall despise her.

^6cA ^dtale out of season is as ^emusick in mourning:

But stripes and correction of wisdom are never out of time.

⁷Whoso teacheth a fool is as one that glueth a potsherd together,

And as he that waketh one from a sound sleep.

⁸He that telleth a tale to a fool speaketh to one in a slumber:

When he hath told his tale, he will say, What is the matter?

⁹If children live honestly, and have wherewithal,

They shall cover the baseness of their parents.

¹⁰But children, being haughty, through disdain and want of nurture

Do stain the nobility of their kindred.

^11fWeep for the dead, for he hath lost the light:

And weep for the fool, for he wanteth understanding:

Make little weeping for the dead, for he is at rest:

But the life of the fool is worse than death.

^12gSeven days do men mourn for him that is dead;

But for a fool and an ungodly man, all the days of his life.

¹³Talk not much with a fool,

And go not to him that hath no understanding:

^hBeware of him, lest thou have trouble,

And thou shalt never be defiled with his fooleries:

Depart from him, and ⁱthou shalt find rest,

And never be disquieted with madness.

¹⁴What is heavier than lead?

And what is the name thereof, but a fool?

^15kSand, and salt, and a mass of iron, is ^leasier to bear,

Than a man without understanding.

¹⁶As timber girt and bound together in a building cannot be loosed with shaking:

So ^mthe heart that is stablished by advised counsel shall fear at no time.

¹⁷A heart settled upon a thought of understanding

Is as ⁿa fair plaistering on the wall of a gallery.

¹⁸Pales set on a high place will never stand against the wind:

So ⁿⁿa fearful heart in the imagination of a fool cannot stand against any fear.

¹⁹He that pricketh the eye will make tears to fall:

And he that pricketh the heart maketh it to shew her knowledge.

²⁰Whoso casteth a stone at the birds ^ofrayeth them away:

And ^phe that upbraideth his friend breaketh friendship.

²¹Though thou drewest a sword at thy friend, yet despair not:

For there may be a returning to favour.

²²If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not;

For there may be a reconciliation:

Except for upbraiding, or pride, or ^qdisclosing of secrets, or a treacherous wound:

For, for these things every friend will depart.

²³Be faithful to thy neighbour in his poverty,

That thou mayest rejoice in his prosperity:

Abide stedfast unto him in the time of his trouble,

That thou mayest be heir with him in his heritage:

For a mean estate is not always to be contemned:

Nor the rich that is foolish to be had in admiration.

²⁴As the vapour and smoke of a furnace goeth before the fire;

So reviling before blood.

²⁵I will not be ashamed to defend a friend;

Neither will I hide myself from him.

²⁶And if any evil happen unto me by him,

Every one that heareth it will ^hbeware of him.

²⁷Who shall ^rset a watch before my mouth,

And a seal of ^swisdom upon my lips,

That I fall not suddenly by them,

And that my tongue destroy me not?

XXIII.