Ben Sira - chapter 11

11: 1 - 34 (translated by Edgar Goodspeed)
The wisdom of the humble lifts their heads high and seats them among the great.  Do not praise an individual for their good looks, and do not detest anyone because of appearance.  The bee is one of the smallest of winged creatures, but what she produces is the greatest of sweets!  Do not boast of the clothes you wear, and do not be uplifted when you are honored, for the works of the Lord are marvelous, and His doings are hidden from humankind.   Many sovereigns have had to sit on the ground, while one who was never thought of has assumed the diadem.  Many rulers have been utterly disgraced, and the honored have been delivered into the hands of others.
Do not find fault before you investigate, first understand, and then rebuke.  Do not answer before you hear, and do not interrupt in the middle of what is being said.  Do not quarrel about a matter that does not concern you, and when sinners judge, do not sit in council with them. 
My child, do not busy yourself about many things.  If you multiply your activities, you will not be held guiltless, and if you pursue, you will not overtake, and you will not escape by running away.  There are those who toil and labor and hurry and are all the worse off.  There are others who are slow and need help, lack strength, and have plenty of poverty.  Yet the eyes of the Lord look favorably on them, and He lifts them up out of their position/condition and lifts up their heads and many wonder at them.
Good and evil, life and death, poverty and wealth are from the Lord.  What the Lord gives stays by the godly, and what He approves will always prosper.  One grows rich by carefulness and gree, and this will be his reward: when he says, "Now I can rest, and enjoy my goods," he does not know when the time will come when he will die and leave them to others.
Stand by your agreement, and attend to it, and grow old in your work.  Do not wonder at the doings of the sinner, but trust in the Lord and stick to your work.  For it is easy in the Lord's eyes swiftly and suddenly to make the poor rich.  The blessing of the Lord rests on the wages of the godly; and He quickly makes His blessing flourish.  Do not say, "What do I need, and from this time on what can benefit me?"  Do not say, "I have enough, and from this time on how can I be injured?"  In prosperity one forgets misfortune.  For it is easy in the Lord's sight when a man dies to repay him according to his ways.  An hour of hardship makes one forget enjoyment, and when a man dies, what he has done is disclosed.  Count no one happy before his death, and a man will be known by his children.
Do not bring any and everyone to your home, for the treacherous have many wiles.  The mind of the proud is like a decoy partridge in a cage, and like a spy, they look for your downfall; for they try to entrap you, turning good into evil, and they find fault with your favorite things.   A spark of fire kindles a whole heap of coals, and a sinful man lies in wait for blood.  Beware of evildoers, for they contrive wickedness, and they will bring blame on you forever.  If you entertain strangers, they will disturb and torment you and will estrange you from your home/family.