14 Question your neighbor; it may be he didn’t say it. If he has said it, it may be that he may not say it again. (WEB) 15 Question a friend; for many times there is slander. Don’t trust every word. (WEB) 16 There is one who slips, and not from the heart. Who is he who hasn’t sinned with his tongue? (WEB)
Sirach 19:14–16
Semantically similar passages
Proverbs 25:8–10
8 do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame? 9 Argue your case with your neighbor without betraying another’s confidence, 10 lest the one who hears may disgrace you, and your infamy never go away.
Sirach 7:11–13
11 Don’t laugh a man to scorn when he is in the bitterness of his soul, for there is one who humbles and exalts. (WEB) 12 Don’t devise a lie against your brother, or do the same to a friend. (WEB) 13 Refuse to utter a lie, for that habit results in no good. (WEB)
Ecclesiastes 7:20–22
20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. 21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you. 22 For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Romans 14:15–17
15 If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good, then, to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eati…
Proverbs 24:27–29
27 Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house. 28 Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. 29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to…
Sirach 19:6–8
6 He who hates gossip has less wickedness. (WEB) 7 Never repeat what is told you, and you won’t lose anything. (WEB) 8 Whether it is of friend or foe, don’t tell it. Unless it is a sin to you, don’t reveal it. (WEB)
Sirach 31:14–16
14 Don’t stretch your hand wherever it looks. Don’t thrust yourself with it into the dish. (WEB) 15 Consider your neighbor’s feelings by your own. Be discreet in every point. (WEB) 16 Eat like a human being those things which are set before you. Don’t eat greedily, lest you be hate… (WEB)
Sirach 11:6–8
6 Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced. Men of renown have been delivered into other men’s hands. (WEB) 7 Don’t blame before you investigate. Understand first, and then rebuke. (WEB) 8 Don’t answer before you have heard. Don’t interrupt while someone else is speaking. (WEB)
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