Fate.  Sir.20.9-17

⁹There may be good fortune for a man in adversity,
and a windfall may result in a loss.
¹⁰There is a gift that profits you nothing,
and there is a gift that brings a double return.
¹¹There are losses because of glory,
and there are men who have raised their heads from humble circumstances.
¹²There is a man who buys much for a little,
but pays for it seven times over.
¹³The wise man makes himself beloved through his words,
but the courtesies of fools are wasted.
¹⁴A fool's gift will profit you nothing,
for he has many eyes instead of one.
¹⁵He gives little and upbraids much,
he opens his mouth like a herald;
today he lends and tomorrow he asks it back;
such a one is a hateful man.
¹⁶A fool will say, "I have no friend, and there is no gratitude for my good deeds;
those who eat my bread speak unkindly."
¹⁷How many will ridicule him, and how often!

Inappropriate talk.  Sir.20.18-26

¹⁸A slip on the pavement is better than a slip of the tongue;
so the downfall of the wicked will occur speedily.
¹⁹An ungracious man is like a story told at the wrong time,
which is continually on the lips of the ignorant.
²⁰A proverb from a fool's lips will be rejected,
for he does not tell it at its proper time.

²¹A man may be prevented from sinning by his poverty,
so when he rests he feels no remorse.
²²A man may lose his life through shame,
or lose it because of his foolish look.
²³A man may for shame make promises to a friend,
and needlessly make him an enemy.
²⁴A lie is an ugly blot on a man;
it is continually on the lips of the ignorant.
²⁵A thief is preferable to a habitual liar,
but the lot of both is ruin.
²⁶The disposition of a liar brings disgrace,
and his shame is ever with him.

Stewardship of Wisdom.  Sir.20.27-31

²⁷He who speaks wisely will advance himself,
and a sensible man will please great men.
²⁸Whoever cultivates the soil will heap up his harvest,
and whoever pleases great men will atone for injustice.
²⁹Presents and gifts blind the eyes of the wise;
like a muzzle on the mouth they avert reproofs.
³⁰Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure,
what advantage is there in either of them?
³¹Better is the man who hides his folly
than the man who hides his wisdom.