Sirach 13:1–14:27

Whoso toucheth pitch, it cleaveth to his hand,

And he that associateth with a scorner will learn his way.

What is too heavy for thee do not lift,

And with one that is richer than thyselfassociate not.

What association can jar and kettle have in common

When, if the one smite, the other is smashed?

The rich man if he perpetrateth a wrongplumeth himself,

While if a wrong is perpetrated upon a poor man he must implore favour.

If thou art useful to him he maketh a slave of thee,

But if thou be brought lowhe is sparing of thee.

If thou possessest anythinghe will live with thee,

And will impoverish thee without a pang.

Hath he need of thee? then he will deceive thee,

And will smile upon thee and raise thy hopes.

He will speak thee fair,

And shame thee with his hospitality.

So long as it profiteth he will cajole thee,

Twice ⁽or⁽ thrice he will … thee;

And then he will see thee and pass thee by,

And wag his head at thee.

Take care that thou be not overbearing,

And that thou be not crushed by senseless folly.

Doth a noble draw near? keep at a distance—

And so much the morewill he cause thee to approach.

Do not thyself draw near, lest thou be put at a distance;

And keep not ⁽too⁽ far away, lest ^[thou be forgotten^[.

Venture notto be free with him,

And mistrust his much conversation.

For by his conversation at largehe is testing thee,

And when he smileth at thee he is probing thee.

A ruthless one maketh peace,

While plotting against the life of many.

Take heed and be wary,

And go not about with men of violence.

All flesh loveth its kind,

And every man his like.

All flesh consorteth according to its kind,

And with his kind man associateth.

What association can wolf have with lamb?

Even so is the ungodly that consorteth with the righteous.

What peace can the hyena have with the dog?

Or what peace rich with poor?

Food for the lion are the wild asses of the desert:

Even so the pasture of the rich are the poor.

An abomination to pride is humility;

Even so an abomination to the rich are the poor.

A rich man when he is shakenis supported by a friend,

But the poor manwhen he is shaken is thrust away by a friend.

A rich man speaketh, and his helpers are many;

And though his words be unseemly, they are pronounced lovely.

A poor man speaketh, and they jeer at him;

Yea, though he speak with wisdom, there is no place for him.

When the rich man speaketh, all keep silence,

And they extol his intelligence to the clouds.

When the poor man speaketh: ‘Who is this?’ say they;

And if he stumblethey will assist his overthrow.

Wealth is good if it be without sin,

And evil is poverty which is due to presumption.

The heart of a man changeth his countenance,

Whether for good or for evil.

The outcome of a happy heart is a cheerful countenance,

But solitude and meditation occasion toilsome thoughts.

14Blessed is the man whose mouth doth not grieve him,

And ⁽who⁽ doth not mourn for the sorrow of his heart.

Blessed is the man whose soul doth not reproach him,

And whose hope hath not ceased.

To him that is small of heart wealth is unfitting,

And wherefore should the evil-eyed have gold?

He that withholdeth from himself gathereth for another,

And a stranger shall satiate himself with his goods.

He that harmeth his own soul, to whom will he do good?

Forhe hath no delight in his own goods.

None is worse than him that is evil to his own soul,

And the recompense of his evil is in himself.

And even if he doeth good, he doeth it in forgetfulness,

And at the last he showeth forth his wickedness.

Evil is he that envieth with his eye,

Turning away his face and despising men.

In the eye of the covetous ⁽too⁽ small is his portion,

But he that taketh his neighbour’s portion destroyeth his own portion.

The eye of the envious hasteth after bread,

And naught is on his table.

^[A good eye causeth bread to increase,

And ‘A dry fountain sendeth forth water’ upon ⁽his⁽ table.^[

My son, if thou possessest aught, do well to thyself,

And prosper to the best of thy power.

Remember that death tarrieth not,

Nor hath the decree of Sheol been told thee.

Before thou diest do good to him that loveth ⁽thee⁽,

And as thou hast prospered, give to him.

Refrain not from the joy of the present,

And let not the portion of a good desire pass thee by.

Wilt thou not leave thy wealth to another,

And thy labour to them that cast the lot?

Give and take; yea, indulge thy soul,

For in Sheol there is no delight.

All flesh withereth like a garment,

And the eternal decree is: ‘Thou shalt surely die!’

As the leaf that groweth on a luxuriant tree,

One fadeth, and another sprouteth;

So ⁽are⁽ the generations of flesh and blood,

One dieth, and another flourisheth;

All his works will surely decay,

And the labour of his hands followeth after him.

Blessed ⁽is⁽ the man that meditateth on Wisdom,

And that giveth heed to understanding,

That directeth his heart upon her ways,

And giveth heed unto her paths;

Going forth after her like a spy,

He looketh stealthily upon her enterings-in.

^[Blessed is he^[ that peereth into her window,

And hearkeneth at her doors;

Who encampeth round about her house,

And fixeth his pegs into her wall;

Who pitcheth his tent close beside her,

And dwelleth in a goodly dwelling;

And buildeth his nest in her foliage,

And lodgeth among her branches;

Seeking refuge from the heat in her shade,

He dwelleth within her habitations.