Sirach 12
12
Do Good to Those Who Deserve It
1 #
Mt 7.6. Do good to those
who deserve it,
and they will thank you.
2Be kind to the godly,
and they—or God Most High—
will reward you.
3But you will have no success
if you keep doing evil
and refuse to give
to the poor.
* 4Help those who are humble
and faithful to God,
5but don't help the ungodly.
If you give food to sinners,
they will become strong
and overpower you.
Do a good deed for them,
and they will reward you
by wronging you twice.
6But God Most High
hates ungodly sinners
and will punish them.
7Yes, give to good people,
not to sinners.
True Friends
8In hard times you will discover
your true friends
and your real enemies.
9Even your enemies act friendly
when you are well off,
but only true friends stay
when trouble strikes.
10Never trust your enemies—
their evil will attack you
like rust 11eating away
at an unpolished mirror.#12.10,11 rust … mirror: Mirrors were made of metal, and would rust if not kept clean, dry, and polished.
So be on guard against them,
even if they bow down
and act humble.
12Don't make them your partners,
or they will push you aside
and take over.
Then you will know I was right,
and you will feel the sting
of my words.
13If you try to charm snakes
or to tame wild animals,
who will take pity
when you get bitten?
14In the same way,
no one will take pity
if you are friendly with sinners
and start sinning yourself.
15Enemies act loyal for a while,
but they won't stand by you
when you need help.
16They tell you how much
they want to be your friends,
all the while plotting
to put you in your grave.
They weep when you are sad,
but they will try to kill you
the first chance they get.
17If you are struck by disaster,
they pretend to help
but pull you down instead.
18Then they laugh and sneer,
making vulgar hand signs,
showing what kind of friends
they really are.
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Sirach 12: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.