Sirach 13:1–14:27

He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith;

And ahe that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like unto him.

2  Burden not thyself above thy power while thou livest;

And have no fellowship with one that is mightier and richer than thyself:

For how agree the kettle and the earthen pot together?

* For if the one be smitten against the other, it shall be broken.

3  bThe rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal:

The poor is wronged, and he must intreat also.

4  If thou be for his profit, he will use thee:

But if thou have nothing, he will forsake thee.

5  If thou have any thing, he will live with thee:

Yea, he will cmake thee bare, and will not be sorry for it.

6  If he have need of thee, he will deceive thee,

And smile upon thee, and put thee in hope;

He will speak thee fair, and say, What wantest thou?

7  And he will shame thee by his meats,

Until he have cdrawn thee dry twice or thrice,

And at the last he will laugh thee to scorn:

Afterward, when he seeth thee, he will forsake thee,

And dshake his head at thee.

8  Beware that thou be not deceived,

And brought down * in thy ejollity.

9  If thou be invited of a mighty man, withdraw thyself,

And so much the more will he invite thee.

10  fPress thou not upon him, lest thou be put back;

Stand not far off, lest thou be forgotten.

11  * gAffect not to be made equal unto him in talk,

* And believe not his many words:

For with much communication will he tempt thee,

And smiling upon thee will get out thy secrets:

12  But cruelly he will lay up thy words,

And will not spare to do thee hurt, and to put thee in prison.

13  Observe, and take good heed,

For thou walkest in peril of thy overthrowing:

When thou hearest these things, awake in thy sleep.

14  Love the Lord all thy life,

And call upon him for thy salvation.

15  Every beast loveth his like,

And every man loveth his neighbor.

16  All flesh consorteth according to kind,

And a man will cleave to his like.

17  hWhat fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb?

iSo the sinner with the godly.

18  What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog?

And what peace between the rich and the poor?

19  As kthe wild ass is the lions’ prey in the wilderness:

So lthe rich eat up the poor.

20  As the proud hate humility:

So doth the rich abhor the poor.

21  A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends:

But a poor man being down is thrust also away by his friends.

22  When a rich man is fallen, he hath many helpers:

He speaketh things not to be spoken, and yet men justify him:

The poor man slipt, and yet they rebuked him too;

mHe spake wisely, and ncould have no place.

23  When a rich man speaketh, oevery man holdeth his tongue,

And look, what he saith, they extol it to the clouds:

But if the poor man speak, they say, What fellow is this?

And if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.

24  Riches are good unto him that hath no sin,

And poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly.

25  The heart of a man pchangeth his countenance, whether it be for good or evil:

And qa merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.

26  A cheerful countenance is a token of a heart that is in prosperity;

And the finding out of parables is ra wearisome labour of the mind.

XIV. aBlessed is the man that hath not abslipt with his mouth,

And is not cpricked with the * multitude of sins.

2  dBlessed is he whose conscience hath not condemned him,

And who is not fallen from his hope in the Lord.

3  Riches are not comely for a niggard:

And what should an envious man do with money?

4  He that gathereth by defrauding his own soul egathereth for others,

That shall spend his goods riotously.

5  He that is evil to himself, to whom will he be good?

He shall not take pleasure in his goods.

6  There is none worse than he that envieth himself;

And this is a recompence of his wickedness.

7  And if he doeth good, he doeth it unwillingly;

And fat the last he will declare his wickedness.

8  The envious man hath a wicked eye;

He turneth away his face, and despiseth men.

9  A covetous man’s eye gis not satisfied with his pportion;

And the iniquity of the wicked drieth up his soul.

10  hA wicked eye ienvieth his bread,

And he is a niggard at his table.

11  My son, according to thy ability do good to thyself,

And kgive the Lord his due offering.

12  Remember that death will not be long in coming,

And that the covenant of the grave is not shewed unto thee.

13  lDo good unto thy friend before thou die,

And according to thy mability stretch out nthy hand and give to him.

14  oDefraud not thyself of * the good day,

And let not the ppart of a good desire overpass thee.

15  eShalt thou not leave thy travails unto another?

And thy labours to be divided by lot?

16  Give, and take, and sanctify thy soul;

For there is no seeking of dainties in the grave.

17  All flesh qwaxeth old as a garment:

For the covenant from the beginning is, rThou shalt die the death.

18  As of the green leaves on a thick tree,

Some fall, and some grow;

So is the generation of sflesh and blood,

tOne cometh to an end, and another is born.

19  Every work rotteth and consumeth away,

And the worker thereof shall go withal.

20  uBlessed is the man that doth meditate good things in wisdom,

And that reasoneth of holy things by his understanding.

21  xHe that considereth her ways in his heart

Shall also have understanding in her secrets.

22  Go after her as one that traceth,

And lie in wait in her ways.

23  He that yprieth in at her windows

zShall also hearken at her doors.

24  He that doth lodge near her house

Shall also fasten a * apin in her walls.

25  He shall pitch his tent nigh unto her,

And bshall lodge in a lodging where good things are.

26  He shall set his children under her shelter,

And shall lodge under her branches.

27  By her he shall be ccovered from heat,

And in her glory shall he dwell.

XV.