Ben Sira 5:12

12 Answer only if you know what to say, and if you don't know what to say, keep quiet.

Ben Sira 5:12 In-Context

11 Always be ready to listen, but take your time in answering.

12 Answer only if you know what to say, and if you don't know what to say, keep quiet.

13 Speaking can bring you either honor or disgrace; what you say can ruin you.

14 Don't get a reputation for being a gossip, and don't tell tales that will hurt people. Just as robbers will suffer disgrace, so liars will suffer severe condemnation.