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Sirach 20, RSV

20:1 There is a reproof which is not timely; and there is a man who keeps silent but is wise.

20:2 How much better it is to reprove than to stay angry! And the one who confesses his fault will be kept from loss.

20:4 Like a eunuch's desire to violate a maiden is a man who executes judgments by violence.

20:5 There is one who by keeping silent is found wise, while another is detested for being too talkative.

20:6 There is one who keeps silent because he has no answer, while another keeps silent because he knows when to speak.

20:7 A wise man will be silent until the right moment, but a braggart and fool goes beyond the right moment.

20:8 Whoever uses too many words will be loathed, and whoever usurps the right to speak will be hated.

20:9 There may be good fortune for a man in adversity, and a windfall may result in a loss.

20:10 There is a gift that profits you nothing, and there is a gift that brings a double return.

20:11 There are losses because of glory, and there are men who have raised their heads from humble circumstances.

20:12 There is a man who buys much for a little, but pays for it seven times over.

20:13 The wise man makes himself beloved through his words, but the courtesies of fools are wasted.

20:14 A fool's gift will profit you nothing, for he has many eyes instead of one.

20:15 He gives little and upbraids much, he opens his mouth like a herald; today he lends and tomorrow he asks it back; such a one is a hateful man.

20:16 A fool will say, "I have no friend, and there is no gratitude for my good deeds; those who eat my bread speak unkindly."

20:17 How many will ridicule him, and how often!

20:18 A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue; so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily.

20:19 An ungracious man is like a story told at the wrong time, which is continually on the lips of the ignorant.

20:20 A proverb from a fool's lips will be rejected, for he does not tell it at its proper time.

20:21 A man may be prevented from sinning by his poverty, so when he rests he feels no remorse.

20:22 A man may lose his life through shame, or lose it because of his foolish look.

20:23 A man may for shame make promises to a friend, and needlessly make him an enemy.

20:24 A lie is an ugly blot on a man; it is continually on the lips of the ignorant.

20:25 A thief is preferable to a habitual liar, but the lot of both is ruin.

20:26 The disposition of a liar brings disgrace, and his shame is ever with him.

20:27 He who speaks wisely will advance himself, and a sensible man will please great men.

20:28 Whoever cultivates the soil will heap up his harvest, and whoever pleases great men will atone for injustice.

20:29 Presents and gifts blind the eyes of the wise; like a muzzle on the mouth they avert reproofs.

20:30 Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure, what advantage is there in either of them?

20:31 Better is the man who hides his folly than the man who hides his wisdom.

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