Sirach
As found in the Greek Septuagint
GNB
Chapter 22
Sirach 22:1-2 Lazy people are no better than dung; they are repulsive, and no one wants to get near them.
Sirach 22:3 It is a disgrace to a father to have an undisciplined child, especially if it is a daughter.
Sirach 22:4 A sensible daughter will get a husband, but a shameless daughter brings her father grief.
Sirach 22:5 A girl with no sense of propriety will disgrace both her husband and her father; neither will have any respect for her.
Sirach 22:6 Lecturing your children can sometimes be as out of place as singing to people in mourning, but a whipping is a wise choice of discipline at any time.
Sirach 22:7 Trying to teach a fool is like gluing a broken pot back together, like waking someone out of a deep sleep.
Sirach 22:8 Explaining something to a fool is like explaining it to a sleepy person, when you have finished, he'll say, "What was that again?"
Sirach 22:11 We mourn for the dead because they have no access to light. We ought to mourn for fools, because they have no access to intelligence. In fact, we should go into deeper mourning for fools, because the life they lead is worse than death. The dead are at least at rest.
Sirach 22:12 For seven days we mourn the dead, but a foolish or ungodly person causes a lifetime of grief.
Sirach 22:13 Don't visit stupid people or spend a lot of time talking with them. Avoid them; then they can't contaminate you, and you can live in peace without being troubled or worn down by their foolishness.
Sirach 22:14 Such people are a heavier burden to bear than lead; and the only word that fits them is "fools."
Sirach 22:15 It is easer to carry a load of sand, salt, and iron than to put up with a stupid person.
Sirach 22:16 A wooden beam can be put into a building so firmly that an earthquake cannot shake it loose; a person can be trained to use reason and good sense so well that he keeps his head when a crisis comes.
Sirach 22:17 A mind that thinks things through intelligently is like a firm wall, finely decorated.
Sirach 22:18 Small stones on top of a wall will not stay put when the wind blows, and a person whose stupid ideas have made him timid will not be able to stand up to frightening situations.
Sirach 22:19 If you stick something in your eye, tears will flow; and if you hurt a person deeply, you will discover his true feelings.
Sirach 22:20 If you throw rocks at birds, you will scare them away; and if you insult a friend, you will break up the friendship.
Sirach 22:21-22 Even if you have a violent argument with a friend, and speak sharply, all is not lost. You can still make up with him. But any friend will leave you if you insult him, if you are arrogant, if you reveal his secrets, or if you turn on him unexpectedly.
Sirach 22:23 Gain the confidence of your neighbor if he is poor; then you can share his happiness if he becomes successful. Stand by him when he is in trouble if you want to share with him when better times come his way.
Sirach 22:24 Fumes and smoke appear before the flames do; insults come before violence.
Sirach 22:25 I will never be afraid to protect a friend, and I will never turn a friend away if he needs me.
Sirach 22:26 If I suffer because of him, everyone who learns of it will be on guard against him.
Sirach 22:27 I wish that a guard could be placed at my mouth, that my lips could be wisely sealed. It would keep me from making mistakes and prevent me from destroying myself with my own tongue!