Sirach 13

Wycliffe Bible

13 He that toucheth pitch, shall be defouled of (or by) it; and he that communeth with a proud man, shall (be) clothe(d) (with) [or in] pride^[a].

² He raiseth a weight on himself, that communeth with a more honest (or more honoured) man than himself; and be thou not fellow to a man richer than thou. What (or How) shall a caldron commune to (or with) a pot? for when those hurtle themselves together, the pot shall be broken. [Burden upon him(self) he taketh, that communeth to the honester than himself; and to the richer than thou, thou shalt not be (a) fellow. What shall commune the caldron to the pot? when forsooth they shall hurtle themselves, it shall be broken.]

³ A rich man shall do unjustly, and shall gnash, as ready yet to do worse; but a poor man hurt shall be still. [The rich man unrightwisely did, and shall gnash; the poor man forsooth hurt shall hold his peace.]

⁴ If thou givest, he shall take (from) thee; and if thou hast not, he shall forsake thee. [If thou shall give, he shall take thee; and if thou have not, he shall forsake thee.]

⁵ If thou hast, he shall live together with thee, and shall make thee void; and he shall not have sorrow on thee. [If thou have, he shall live with thee, and avoid thee out; and he shall not sorrow upon thee.]

⁶ If thou art needful to him, he shall deceive thee; and he shall flatter, and shall give hope, telling to thee all goods (or every good thing); and shall say, What is need to thee? [If thou were necessary to him, he shall beguile thee; and under laughing hope he shall give, telling to thee all goods; and shall say, What need is to thee?]

⁷ And he shall shame thee in his meats, till he annihilate or extinguish thee twice and thrice, and at the last he shall scorn thee; afterward he shall see, and shall forsake thee, and he shall move his head to (or at) thee. Be thou made meek to God, and abide thou his hands.

⁸ Take heed, lest thou be deceived, and be made low in folly. Do not thou be low in thy wisdom, lest thou be made low, and be deceived into folly.

⁹ When thou art called of (or by) a mightier man, go thou away; for by this he shall more call thee.

¹⁰ Be thou not greatly pressing, lest thou be hurtled down; and be thou not far from him, lest thou go into forgetting. [Be thou not too greedy, lest thou be put again; and be thou not far from him, lest thou go into forgetting.]

¹¹ Withhold thou not to speak with him evenly [or Not withhold thou of even to speak with him], that is, speak thou to him without reverence, and believe thou not to his many words; for of (or with) much speech he shall tempt thee, and he shall laugh privily, and shall ask thee of (or about) thine hid things.

¹² His cruel soul shall keep thy words, and he shall not spare of malice, and of bonds. [And he shall (al)together keep thy words, and not spare from malice, and from bonds.]

¹³ Beware to thee, and take heed diligently to thine hearing; for thou goest with thy destroying. But thou hearing those things, see as in sleep, and thou shalt wake. [(Be)Ware to thee, and take heed busily to thine hearing; for with thy turning upside-down thou goest. Hearing forsooth those things, as in swevens see, and thou shalt wake.]

¹⁴ In all thy life love thou God, and inwardly call thou him in thine health, that is, for thine health (or deliverance), (both) temporal and everlasting. [In all thy life love God, and inwardly call him in thine health.]

¹⁵ Each beast loveth a beast like itself; so and each man oweth (or ought) to love his neighbour.

¹⁶ Each flesh shall be joined to flesh like itself, and each man shall be fellowshipped to a man like himself. [Each flesh to his like shall be joined, and each man to his like shall be fellowshipped.]

¹⁷ As a wolf shall commune sometime with a lamb, so a sinner with a just man. [As a wolf shall commune to a lamb otherwhile, so a sinner to a rightwise.]

¹⁸ What communing [or What communication] is of an holy man to (or with) a dog? either what good part is of a rich man to (or with) a poor man?

¹⁹ The hunting of a lion is a wild ass in (the) desert; so (in) the pastures of rich men be poor men. [Hunting of a lion an ass in wilderness; so poor men be (in) the pasture of rich men.]

²⁰ And as meekness is (an) abomination to a proud man, so and a poor man is (an) abomination of (or to) a rich man. [And as abomination to a proud man is meekness, so and cursing of the rich is the poor.]

²¹ A rich man moved, that is, disturbed, either hurled, is confirmed of (or by) his friends; but a meek man, when he falleth, shall be cast out, yea, of known men, (or by his friends), [or shall be put out also from (his) known].

²² Many recoverers (or helpers) be to a rich man deceived; he spake proudly, and they justified him. (But) A meek man is deceived, furthermore also he is reproved; he spake wisely, and no place was given to him. [To the rich deceived many be recoverers; he spake proudly, and they justified him. The meek is deceived, furthermore and reproved; he spake wisely well, and there is not given to him a place.]

²³ The rich man spake, and all men were still; and they shall bring his word till to the clouds. (But) A poor man spake, and they say, Who is this? and if he offendeth (or if he stumble), they shall destroy him. [The rich spake, and all held their peace; and the word of him unto the clouds they shall bear. The poor spake, and they say, Who is this? and if he shall offend, they shall turn him upside-down.]

²⁴ Chattel is good to him, to whom is no sin in conscience; and the worst poverty is in the mouth of a wicked man. [Good is substance, to whom is not sin in conscience; and most wicked is poorness in the mouth of the unpious.]

²⁵ The heart of a man changeth his face, either in good either in evil. Of hard and with travail, thou shalt find the step of a good heart, and a good face (together). [The heart of a man changeth the face of him, or in good or in evil. The step of a good heart, and a good face, hard thou shalt find, and with travail. ]

²⁶ (This verse is omitted in the original text.)