Sirach 29

29He that lendeth to ⁽his⁽ neighbour showeth kindness,

And he that taketh him by the hand keepeth the commandments.

Lend to thy neighbour in time of his need,

And pay thou thy neighbour again at the appointed time.

Confirm thy word, and keep faith with him;

And ⁽so⁽ shalt thou always have what thou needest.

Many have reckoned a loan as a windfall,

And have brought trouble on them that helped them.

Until he receive it, he kisseth thy hand,

And speaketh humbly about his neighbour’s money;

But when payment is due, he prolongeth the time,

And after much time he repayeth.

If he is able ^[to repay^[, he ^[i.e. the lender^[ will hardly receive the half,

And counteth it as a windfall;

If not ^[able to repay^[, he hath deprived him ^[i.e. the lender^[ of his money,

And he hath made him an enemy unnecessarily.

He repayeth him with cursings and railings,

And instead of honour he repayeth him with insult.

Many, therefore, have turned away ^[from lending^[ because of wickedness,

⁽For⁽ they feared to be defrauded for naught.

But with the man of low estate be longsuffering,

And let him not wait for alms.

Help the poor man for the commandment’s sake,

And grieve not for the loss.

Lose money for the sake of a brother or a friend,

And let it not rust under a stone or a wall.

Lay up for thyself a treasure of righteousness and love,

And it shall profit thee more than all that thou hast.

Store up almsgiving in thy treasuries,

And it shall deliver thee from all evil;

Better than a mighty shield and a heavy spear

Shall ⁽this⁽ fight for thee against an enemy.

A good man becometh surety for his neighbour,

But he that hath lost the sense of shame runneth away from his surety.

Forget not the good offices of thy surety,

For he hath given his life for thee.

A sinner disregardeth the goodness of his surety,

And the ungrateful man faileth him that delivered him.

Suretyship hath undone many that were prospering,

And tossed them about as a wave of the sea;

Men of wealth hath it driven from their homes,

And they had to wander among strange nations.

The sinner falleth in ⁽his⁽ suretyship,

And he that followeth after sins falleth into judgements.

Help thy neighbour according to thy power,

And take heed to thyself, that thou fall not.

The chief thing for lifeg is water and bread,

And a garment, and a house to cover nakedness.

Better the life of the poor under a shelter of logs,

Than sumptuous fare in the house of strangers.

With little or with much, be contented;

So wilt thou not ⁽have to⁽ hear the reproach of thy wandering

An evil life ⁽it is⁽ to go from house to house,

And where thou art a stranger thou ⁽must⁽ not open ⁽thy⁽ mouth.

A stranger thou art ^[in that case^[, and drinkest contempt;

And besides this thou wilt ⁽have to⁽ hear bitter things:

‘Come hither, sojourner, furnish ⁽my⁽ table,

And if thou hast aught, feed me ⁽therewith⁽’;

⁽Or⁽: ‘Get thee gone, sojourner, from the face of honour,

My brother is come as my guest, ⁽I have⁽ need of my house!’

These things are grievous to a man of understanding:

Upbraiding concerning sojourning, and the reproach of a money-lender.