Appearances.  Sir.11.2-6

²Do not praise a man for his good looks,
nor loathe a man because of his appearance.
³The bee is small among flying creatures,
but her product is the best of sweet things.
⁴Do not boast about wearing fine clothes,
nor exalt yourself in the day that you are honoured;
for the works of the Lord are wonderful,
and his works are concealed from men.
⁵Many kings have had to sit on the ground,
but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
⁶Many rulers have been greatly disgraced,
and illustrious men have been handed over to others.

Caution.  Sir.11.7-28

⁷Do not find fault before you investigate;
first consider, and then reprove.
⁸Do not answer before you have heard,
nor interrupt a speaker in the midst of his words.
⁹Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you,
nor sit with sinners when they judge a case.

¹⁰My son, do not busy yourself with many matters;
if you multiply activities you will not go unpunished,
and if you pursue you will not overtake,
and by fleeing you will not escape.
¹¹There is a man who works, and toils, and presses on,
but is so much the more in want.
¹²There is another who is slow and needs help,
who lacks strength and abounds in poverty;
but the eyes of the Lord look upon him for his good;
he lifts him out of his low estate
¹³and raises up his head, so that many are amazed at him.

¹⁴Good things and bad, life and death,
poverty and wealth, come from the Lord.
¹⁷The gift of the Lord endures for those who are godly,
and what he approves will have lasting success.
¹⁸There is a man who is rich through his diligence and self-denial,
and this is the reward allotted to him:
¹⁹when he says, "I have found rest, and now I shall enjoy my goods!"
he does not know how much time will pass until he leaves them to others and dies.
²⁰Stand by your covenant and attend to it,
and grow old in your work.

²¹Do not wonder at the works of a sinner, but trust in the Lord and keep at your toil;
for it is easy in the sight of the Lord to enrich a poor man quickly and suddenly.
²²The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the godly,
and quickly God causes his blessing to flourish.
²³Do not say, "What do I need, and what prosperity could be mine in the future?"
²⁴Do not say, "I have enough, and what calamity could happen to me in the future?"
²⁵In the day of prosperity, adversity is forgotten,
and in the day of adversity, prosperity is not remembered.
²⁶For it is easy in the sight of the Lord to reward a man on the day of death according to his conduct.
²⁷The misery of an hour makes one forget luxury,
and at the close of a man's life his deeds will be revealed.
²⁸Call no one happy before his death;
a man will be known through his children.

Care in choosing friends.  Sir.11.29-14.2

²⁹Do not bring every man into your home,
for many are the wiles of the crafty.
³⁰Like a decoy partridge in a cage,
so is the mind of a proud man,
and like a spy he observes your weakness;
³¹for he lies in wait, turning good into evil,
and to worthy actions he will attach blame.
³²From a spark of fire come many burning coals,
and a sinner lies in wait to shed blood.
³³Beware of a scoundrel, for he devises evil,
lest he give you a lasting blemish.
³⁴Receive a stranger into your home
and he will upset you with commotion,
and will estrange you from your family.