On Guaranteeing Debts

14 A good person will be surety for his neighbor,

but the one who has lost all sense of shame will fail him.

15 Do not forget the kindness of your guarantor,

for he has given his life for you.

16 A sinner wastes the property of his guarantor,

17 and the ungrateful person abandons his rescuer.

18 Being surety has ruined many who were prosperous,

and has tossed them about like waves of the sea;

it has driven the influential into exile,

and they have wandered among foreign nations.

19 The sinner comes to grief through surety;

his pursuit of gain involves him in lawsuits.

20 Assist your neighbor to the best of your ability,

but be careful not to fall yourself.