Sirach 13
13
1Whoever touches tar will get dirty,
and those who associate with the arrogant will become like them.
2Don’t lift something
that’s too heavy for you,
and don’t associate with people
who are more powerful and rich
than you are.
What does a clay pot have in common
with a metal cauldron?
The one will knock against the other
and be shattered.
3Rich people inflict injury,
but then act as if they’re the ones
who have been wronged;
the poor suffer injury,
but they’re the ones
who must apologize.
4If you are useful to the rich,
they will work with you,
but if you are in need,
they will abandon you.
5If you own anything,
they will live with you;
they will exhaust what you have,
and they won’t suffer.
6If they need you, they will deceive you
and smile at you and give you hope;
they will speak nicely to you and say,
“What do you need?”
7They will embarrass you
with their fine foods,
until they have cleaned you out
two or three times over.
In the end they will mock you,
and after these things,
they will see you and abandon you
and shake their heads at you.
8Take care that you don’t go astray,
and don’t be humiliated
by your own foolishness.
9When powerful people invite you,
show yourself reluctant,
and they will invite you all the more.
10Don’t be forward,
or you might be rejected;
and don’t stand far off,
or you might be forgotten.
11Don’t think that you can speak
with them as an equal,
and don’t trust in their
lengthy conversations,
because they will test you
with a lot of talking;
and when they are smiling, they are really examining you.
12Those who won’t guard your secrets
are cruel,
and they won’t spare you
from mistreatment
and imprisonment.
13Be on guard and pay attention,
because you are tiptoeing
around your own downfall.#13.13 LXXb adds 13:14 When you hear things in your sleep, wake up; love the Lord for all of your life, and call upon him for your deliverance.
15All living creatures love what is like them,
and all people their neighbors.
16All beings gather together
with their own kind,
and people cling to those
who are like them.
17What does a wolf have in common
with a lamb?
So sinners have nothing in common
with the godly.
18What peace is there
between a hyena and a dog?
And what peace is there
between the rich and the poor?
19Wild asses in the desert are prey for lions;
so the poor are feeding grounds
for the rich.
20The arrogant detest humility;
so the rich detest the poor.
21When rich people stumble,
they are supported by friends.
But when the humble fall,
their own friends push them away.
22When the rich slip,
their helpers are many;
they speak things that shouldn’t be spoken, and people justify them.
The humble slip,
and people criticize them as well;
they utter something sensible,
and no one pays attention.
23The rich speak, and everyone is silent,
and what they say is praised
to the heavens.
The poor speak, and they say,
“Who is this?”
And if the poor stumble,
others push them down all the more.
24Wealth is good as long as it’s free of sin;
the ungodly speak of poverty
as an evil in and of itself.
On happiness
25A person’s heart changes the disposition,
whether for good or for ill.
26A cheerful face indicates
a heart full of good;
coming up with proverbs requires conversation along with hard work.
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Sirach 13: CEB
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