Sirach 22

Common English Bible

22 People who are afraid to act
are like filthy stones;
    everyone will hiss at their dishonor.
² People who are afraid to act
are like clumps of cow manure;
    those who pick it up
    will shake off their hand.

³ An uneducated son is a disgrace
to a father,
    and a daughter’s birth is a liability.
⁴ A prudent daughter
will get a husband of her own,
    and a daughter in disgrace
    is a grief to her parents.
⁵ A disrespectful daughter
shames her father and her husband,
    and both will despise her.
⁶ Ill-timed talk is like party music
during mourning,
    but a whipping and discipline
    are wisdom at any time.^[a]
9 Whoever teaches a fool
is gluing together a broken pot
    or waking up someone
    out of a deep sleep.
¹⁰ Whoever talks with a fool
converses with someone who is drowsy;
    when the conversation is over,
    the fool will say, “What is it?
¹¹ Weep for the dead,
for they have left the light behind;
        and weep for fools,
        for they have
        left understanding behind.
    Weep sweetly over the dead,
    because they are at rest,
        but the life of a fool is worse
        than death.
¹² Mourn for the dead for seven days,
    but mourn for the foolish and the ungodly all the days of their lives.

¹³ Don’t talk a lot with fools,
    and don’t go to the unintelligent.^[b]
Be on guard against them
so that you don’t have trouble
    and don’t get dirty
    when they shake themselves off.
Stay away from them
and you will find rest,
    and their senselessness
    won’t make you weary.
¹⁴ What’s heavier than lead?
    And what name does it have but “Fool”?
¹⁵ Sand, salt, and a lump of iron
    are easier to bear
    than an unintelligent person.

¹⁶ A wooden beam fastened into a building
        won’t be loosened by an earthquake.
    So a heart firmly set
    on thoughtful counsel
        won’t be afraid at any time.
¹⁷ A heart fixed on thoughtful understanding
    is like an engraved ornament
    on a smooth wall.
¹⁸ A protective barrier set on a high place
        will never endure against the wind.
    So a timid heart backed up
    by a fool’s plan
        will never endure against any fear.

²³ Gain your neighbors’ trust
while they are poor,
    so that when they are prosperous,
    you will be filled along with them.
    In a time of distress remain with them
    so that when they inherit,
    you will be a joint heir.^[c]
24 Before there’s a fire,
a furnace has vapor and smoke;
    so before bloodshed there are insults.
²⁵ I won’t be ashamed to shelter friends,
    and I won’t hide from them.
²⁶ And if something bad happens to me
because of them,
    everyone who hears of it
    will be on guard against them.