Ben Sira 22:1-8

1 Lazy people are no better than dung; they are repulsive, and no one wants to get near them.

3 It is a disgrace to a father to have an undisciplined child, especially if it is a daughter.

4 A sensible daughter will get a husband, but a shameless daughter brings her father grief.

5 A girl with no sense of propriety will disgrace both her husband and her father; neither will have any respect for her.

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.

7 Trying to teach a fool is like gluing a broken pot back together, like waking someone out of a deep sleep.

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?"

Footnotes

• [a]. [Some manuscripts add verses 9-10:] Children who are brought up well do not show the humble origin of their parents. +V10+WChildren who are not brought up well, who are arrogant and conceited, are a stain on the noblest family.