Sirach 42:1–8

To repeat the word thou hast heard,

And to lay bare any secret counsel:

So shalt thou be truly shamefast,

And find favour in the sight of all living.

But of these things be not ashamed,

And accept not persons unto sin:

Of the Law of the Most High, and the statute;

And of justice, to do right by the wicked;

Of reckoning with a comrade and ⁽fellow⁽ traveller,

And of the division of an inheritance and a property;

Of the small dust of the scales and balance,

And of testing measure and weight;

Of buying whether little or much,

And of profit from traffick with the merchant;

Of frequent correction of children,

And of smiting the side of an evil-disposed servant.

For an evil wife a seal,

And where many hands are, a key!

Upon what is deposited make a mark,

And let giving and receiving all be in writing.—

Of the correction of the simple and foolish ⁽be not ashamed⁽,

Or of the tottering grey-head occupied with whoredom:

So shalt thou be truly well-advised,

And a man ⁽truly⁽ modest before all living.