Ben Sira 20:1-6

1 There is a rebuke that is untimely, and there is the person who is wise enough to keep silent.

2 How much better it is to rebuke than to fume!

3 And the one who admits his fault will be kept from failure.

4 Like a eunuch lusting to violate a girl is the person who does right under compulsion.

5 Some people keep silent and are thought to be wise, while others are detested for being talkative.

6 Some people keep silent because they have nothing to say, while others keep silent because they know when to speak.