Ben Sira 19:1-8

1 If you do, you will never get rich; if you don't pay attention to small matters, you will gradually ruin yourself.

2 Wine and women make sensible men do foolish things. A man who goes to prostitutes gets more and more careless,

3 and that carelessness will cost him his life. Worms will feed on his decaying body.

4 It is silly to trust people too quickly. If you sin, you are hurting yourself.

5 If wickedness makes you happy, you will be condemned.

6 Avoid idle talk, and you will avoid a lot of trouble.

7 Never repeat what you hear, and you will have no regrets.

8 Don't tell it to your friends or your enemies unless it would be sinful to keep it to yourself.

Footnotes

• [a]. [Hebrew] If you do, you; [Greek] A worker who drinks too much.