Ben Sira 29
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 29
Loans, Alms and Surety[a]
1 The merciful lend to their neighbor,
by holding out a helping hand, they keep the commandments.(A)
2 Lend to your neighbor in his time of need,
and pay back your neighbor in time.(B)
3 Keep your promise and be honest with him,
and at all times you will find what you need.
4 Many borrowers ask for a loan
and cause trouble for those who help them.
5 Till he gets a loan, he kisses the lender’s hand
and speaks softly of his creditor’s money,
But at time of payment, delays,
makes excuses, and finds fault with the timing.
6 If he can pay, the lender will recover barely half,
and will consider that a windfall.
If he cannot pay, the lender is cheated of his money
and acquires an enemy at no extra charge;
With curses and insults the borrower will repay,
and instead of honor will repay with abuse.
7 Many refuse to lend, not out of meanness,
but from fear of being cheated needlessly.
8 But with those in humble circumstances be patient;
do not keep them waiting for your alms.
9 Because of the commandment, help the poor,
and in their need, do not send them away empty-handed.(C)
10 Lose your money for relative or friend;
do not hide it under a stone to rot.
11 Dispose of your treasure according to the commandments of the Most High,
and that will profit you more than the gold.(D)
12 [b]Store up almsgiving in your treasury,
and it will save you from every evil.
13 Better than a mighty shield and a sturdy spear
it will fight for you against the enemy.
14 [c]A good person will be surety for a neighbor,
but whoever has lost a sense of shame will fail him.(E)
15 Do not forget the kindness of your backer,
for he has given his very life for you.
16 A sinner will turn the favor of a pledge into misfortune,
17 and the ungrateful will abandon his rescuer.
18 Going surety has ruined many who were prosperous
and tossed them about like waves of the sea;(F)
It has exiled the prominent
and sent them wandering through foreign lands.
19 The sinner will come to grief through surety,
and whoever undertakes too much will fall into lawsuits.
20 Help your neighbor according to your means,
but take care lest you fall yourself.
Frugality and Its Rewards[d]
21 Life’s prime needs are water, bread, and clothing,
and also a house for decent privacy.(G)
22 Better is the life of the poor under the shadow of their own roof
than sumptuous banquets among strangers.(H)
23 Whether little or much, be content with what you have:
then you will hear no reproach as a parasite.
24 It is a miserable life to go from house to house,
for where you are a guest you dare not open your mouth.
25 You will entertain and provide drink without being thanked;
besides, you will hear these bitter words:
26 “Come here, you parasite, set the table,
let me eat the food you have there!
27 Go away, you parasite, for one more worthy;
for my relative’s visit I need the room!”
28 Painful things to a sensitive person
are rebuke as a parasite and insults from creditors.
Footnotes
- 29:1–20 Some practical maxims concerning the use of wealth. Give to the poor (vv. 8–9), lend to a needy neighbor, but repay when a loan falls due lest the lender’s burden be increased (vv. 1–5) and his kindness abused (vv. 6–7); through charity build up defense against evil (vv. 10–13). Help your neighbor according to your means, but take care not to fall (v. 20), for the shameless play false and bring their protectors and themselves to misfortune and ruin (vv. 14–19).
- 29:12–13 In Ben Sira’s day, almsgiving and righteousness were practically identified.
- 29:14–17 Ben Sira is more lenient on going surety than earlier sages; cf. Prv 6:1–5.
- 29:21–28 Those who provide their own basic needs of food, clothing and dwelling, and are content with what they have, preserve their freedom and self-respect (vv. 21–23). But if they live as guests, even among the rich, they expose themselves to insult and rebuke (vv. 24–28).
Sirach 29
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
29 He that sheweth mercy, lendeth to his neighbour: and he that is stronger in hand, keepeth the commandments.
2 Lend to thy neighbour in the time of his need, and pay thou thy neighbour again in due time.
3 Reap thy word, and deal faithfully with him: and thou shalt always find that which is necessary for thee.
4 Many have looked upon a thing lent as a thing found, and have given trouble to them that helped them.
5 Till they receive, they kiss the hands of the lender, and in promises they humble their voice:
6 But when they should repay, they will ask time, and will return tedious and murmuring words, and will complain of the time:
7 And if he be able to pay, he will stand off, he will scarce pay one half, and will count it as if he had found it:
8 But if not, he will defraud him of his money, and he shall get him for an enemy without cause:
9 And he will pay him with reproaches and curses, and instead of honour and good turn will repay him injuries.
10 Many have refused to lend, not out of wickedness, but they were afraid to be defrauded without cause.
11 But yet towards the poor be thou more hearty, and delay not to shew him mercy.
12 Help the poor because of the commandment: and send him not away empty handed because of his poverty.
13 Lose thy money for thy brother and thy friend: and hide it not under a stone to be lost.
14 Place thy treasure in the commandments of the most High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold.
15 Shut up alms in the heart of the poor, and it shall obtain help for thee against all evil.
16 Better than the shield of the mighty, and better than the spear:
17 It shall fight for thee against thy enemy.
18 A good man is surety for his neighbour: and he that hath lost shame, will leave him to himself.
19 Forget not the kindness of thy surety: for he hath given his life for thee.
20 The sinner and the unclean fleeth from his surety.
21 A sinner attributeth to himself the goods of his surety: and he that is of an unthankful mind will leave him that delivered him.
22 A man is surety for his neighbour: and when he hath lost all shame, he shall forsake him.
23 Evil suretyship hath undone many of good estate, and hath tossed them as a wave of the sea.
24 It hath made powerful men to go from place to place round about, and they have wandered in strange countries.
25 A sinner that transgresseth the commandment of the Lord, shall fall into an evil suretyship: and he that undertaketh many things, shall fall into judgment.
26 Recover thy neighbour according to thy power, and take heed to thyself that thou fall not.
27 The chief thing for man's life is water and bread, and clothing, and a house to cover shame.
28 Better is the poor man's fare under a roof of boards, than sumptuous cheer abroad in another man's house.
29 Be contented with little instead of much, and thou shalt not hear the reproach of going abroad.
30 It is a miserable life to go as a guest from house to house: for where a man is a stranger, he shall not deal confidently, nor open his mouth.
31 He shall entertain and feed, and give drink to the unthankful, and moreover he shall hear bitter words.
32 Go, stranger, and furnish the table, and give others to eat what thou hast in thy hand.
33 Give place to the honourable presence of my friends: for I want my house, my brother being to be lodged with me.
34 These things are grievous to a man of understanding: the upbraiding of houseroom, and the reproaching of the lender.
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