Sirach 20

An admonition can be inopportune, and a man may be wise to hold his peace. It is much better to admonish than to lose one's temper, for one who admits his fault will be kept from disgrace.

Like a eunuch lusting for intimacy with a maiden is he who does right under compulsion. One man is silent and is thought wise; another is talkative and is disliked. One man is silent because he has nothing to say; another is silent, biding his time.

A wise man is silent till the right time comes, but a boasting fool ignores the proper time. He who talks too much is detested; he who pretends to authority is hated.

Some misfortunes bring success; some things gained are a man's loss. Some gifts do one no good, and some must be paid back double. Humiliation can follow fame, while from obscurity a man can lift up his head.

A man may buy much for little, but pay for it seven times over. A wise man makes himself popular by a few words, but fools pour forth their blandishments in vain.

A gift from a rogue will do you no good, for in his eyes his one gift is equal to seven. He gives little and criticizes often, and like a crier he shouts aloud. He lends today, he asks it back tomorrow; hateful indeed is such a man.

A fall to the ground is less sudden than a slip of the tongue; that is why the downfall of the wicked comes so quickly.

A man through want may be unable to sin, yet in this tranquility he cannot rest.

A man makes a promise to a friend out of shame, and has him for his enemy needlessly.

A lie is a foul blot in a man, yet it is constantly on the lips of the unruly. Better a thief than an inveterate liar, yet both will suffer disgrace; A liar's way leads to dishonor, his shame remains ever with him.

Favors and gifts blind the eyes; like a muzzle over the mouth they silence reproof. Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure, of what value is either? Better the man who hides his folly than the one who hides his wisdom.

Sirach 20:1-15, 18, 21, 23-26, 29-31