Sirach 22

22The slothful man is like a filthy stone,

Every one fleeth from the stench thereof.

A slothful man is like the filth of a dunghill,

He who taketh it up shaketh out his hand.

^[There is^[ shame to a father in the begetting of an uninstructed ⁽son⁽,

And a daughter is born to his loss.

A prudent daughter is a treasureto her husband,

But she that bringeth shame is a grief to him that begat her.

She that is bold bringeth shame on father and husband,

And she is despised of both.

As music in ⁽time of⁽ mourning, ⁽so⁽ is unseasonable talk,

But stripes and correction are at all times wisdom.

He who teacheth a fool is ⁽as⁽ one that glueth together a potsherd,

⁽Or⁽ as one that awakeneth a sleeper out of a deep sleep.

He that discourseth to a fool is as one discoursing to him that slumbereth,

And at the end he saith, ‘What is it?’

Mourn for the dead, for his light hath failed;

And mourn for a fool, for understanding hath failed ⁽him⁽.

Weep gently for the dead, for he hath found rest;

But the life of a fool is worse than death.

The mourning for the dead ⁽lasts⁽ seven days,

But the mourning for a fool all the days of his life.

Talk not much with a foolish man,

And consort not with a pig:

Beware of him, lest thou have trouble,

And thou becomest defiled when he shaketh himself;

Turn from him, and thou wilt find rest,

And ⁽so⁽ shalt thou not be wearied with his folly.

What is heavier than lead?

And what is its name but ‘Fool’?

Sand and salt and a weight of iron

⁽Are⁽ easier to bear than a senseless man.

As timber girt and fixed into the wall

Is not loosened by an earthquake,

So a heart established on well-advised counsel

Will not be afraid in time ^[of danger^[.

A heart fixed on thoughtful understanding

Is as an ornament graven upon a polished wall.

Small stones lying upon a high place

Will not remain against the wind,

So will the fearsome heart ⁽bent⁽ on foolish imagination

Be unable to withstand any terror.

A wound in the eye maketh tears to flow,

And a ⁽heart⁽-woundsevereth friendship.

He that throweth a stone at birds scareth them away,

And he that reproacheth a friend dissolveth friendship.

Even if thou draw the sword against a friend,

Despair not, for there is a way out;

And if thou open thy mouth against a friend,

Fear not, for there is a ⁽way of⁽ reconciliation;

But reproach and arrogance, and betrayal of a secret, and a deceitful blow,—

In ⁽face of⁽ these every friend will depart.

Support thy neighbour in his poverty,

That in his prosperity thou mayst rejoice;

Remain true to him in the time of his affliction,

That thou mayst be heir with him in his inheritance.

^[Before the fire is the smoke of the furnace,

So revilings before bloodshed^[.

Be not ashamed of a friend who becometh poor,

And hide not thyself from his face;

For if evil happen unto him through thee,

Whosoever heareth it will beware of thee.

O that one would set a watch over my mouth,

And a seal of shrewdness upon my lips,

That I fall not by means of them,

And that my tongue destroy me not!