Ben Sira 19:4-14

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.

9 Whoever hears you will take note of it, and sooner or later will hate you for it.

10 Have you heard a rumor? Let it die with you. Be brave! It won't make you explode.

11 A foolish person trying to keep a secret suffers like a woman in labor.

12 Any time he hears a secret, it's like an arrow stuck in his leg.

13 If you hear that a friend has done something wrong, ask him about it. Maybe it isn't true. If it is true, he won't do it again.

14 If you hear that a neighbor has said something he shouldn't, ask him about it. Maybe he didn't say it. If he did, he won't say it again.