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19:1  A drunken worker won’t become rich, and whoever neglects the little things will fail little by little.
19:2  Wine and women will mislead an intelligent person, and the one who has sex with prostitutes will become more reckless.
19:3  Decay and worms will possess him, and his reckless soul will be carried away.
19:4  Those who trust others too quickly have empty heads, and those who sin injure themselves.
19:5  Those who rejoice in wickedness will be condemned.
19:6  And those who are reticent to speak diminish wickedness.
19:7  Never repeat something that you’ve heard, and you will not lose anything.
19:8  Don’t report it to a friend or an enemy, and, as long as it wouldn’t be a sin for you, don’t reveal it.
19:9  People might hear you or observe you, and in time they will hate you.
19:10  Have you heard some word? Let it perish along with you. Have courage! It won’t make you burst.
19:11  Because of something spoken, a fool will suffer labor pains like those caused by a baby about to be delivered.
19:12  Like an arrow stuck in a thigh, so is a word in the belly of a fool.
19:13  Question a friend; perhaps he didn’t do it. And if he did, question him so he doesn’t do it again.
19:14  Question a neighbor; perhaps she didn’t say it. And if she did say it, question her so that she doesn’t repeat it.
19:15  Question a friend, because it often turns out to be a false accusation. Don’t trust everything that is said.
19:16  There are those who slip, and it wasn’t intentional. Who hasn’t sinned with the tongue?
19:17  Question your neighbor before issuing a threat, and give the Law of the Most High its place.
19:20  Fearing the Lord is the whole of wisdom, and all wisdom involves doing the Law.
19:22  The knowledge of wickedness isn’t wisdom, and there is no prudence in the advice that sinners give.
19:23  There is a kind of cleverness that is detestable, and there is a senseless person who lacks wisdom.
19:24  Someone who fears God but who has inferior intelligence is better than someone who abounds in intelligence but who violates the Law.
19:25  There is cleverness that is precise but unjust, and there are people who abuse favors in order to get a favorable decision.
19:26  And there are people who act wickedly, bowed down gloomily, and their insides are full of treachery.
19:27  They hide their faces, and they pretend they can’t hear; when you aren’t paying attention, they will outrun you.
19:28  If they are prevented from sinning, it’s because they lack the strength. If they find an occasion, they will do evil.