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Ben Sira 13:9-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 13:9-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
9 When the influential draw near, keep your distance;
then they will urge you all the more.
10 Do not draw too close, lest you be rebuffed,
but do not keep too far away lest you be regarded as an enemy.
11 Do not venture to be free with them,
do not trust their many words;
For by prolonged talk they will test you,
and though smiling they will probe you.
12 Mercilessly they will make you a laughingstock,
and will not refrain from injury or chains.
13 Be on your guard and take care
never to accompany lawless people.[a]
15 Every living thing loves its own kind,
and we all love someone like ourselves.
16 Every living being keeps close to its own kind;
and people associate with their own kind.
17 Is a wolf ever allied with a lamb?
So the sinner with the righteous.(A)
Footnotes
- 13:13
Other ancient texts read as v. 14:
If you hear these things in your sleep, wake up!
With your whole life, love the Lord
and call on him for your salvation.
Sirach 13:9-17
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 13:9-17
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
9 When a powerful man invites you, be reserved;
and he will invite you the more often.
10 Do not push forward, lest you be repulsed;
and do not remain at a distance, lest you be forgotten.
11 Do not try to treat him as an equal,
nor trust his abundance of words;
for he will test you through much talk,
and while he smiles he will be examining you.
12 Cruel is he who does not keep words to himself;
he will not hesitate to injure or to imprison.
13 Keep words to yourself and be very watchful,
for you are walking about with your own downfall.[a]
15 Every creature loves its like,
and every person his neighbor;
16 all living beings associate by species,
and a man clings to one like himself.
17 What fellowship has a wolf with a lamb?
No more has a sinner with a godly man.
Footnotes
- Sirach 13:13 Other authorities add When you hear these things in your sleep, wake up! 14 During all your life love the Lord, and call on him for your salvation.
Sirach 13:9-17
Good News Translation
Sirach 13:9-17
Good News Translation
9 If you are invited to the home of someone influential, be reserved in your behavior. Then he will invite you more often. 10 If you push yourself on him, he will put you in your place. On the other hand, if you keep your distance from him, he will forget about you. 11 Don't pretend to be his equal or trust everything he says. In spite of all of his long and polite conversation, he is testing you.
12 If a person does not keep confidences, he is cruel; he will not hesitate to hurt you or have you put in jail. 13 Keep your secrets to yourself and be very careful, for you are always walking on dangerous ground.[a] 14 As long as you live, love the Lord and call on him to rescue you.
15 Every creature prefers its own kind, and people are no different. 16 Just as animals of the same species flock together, so people keep company with people like themselves. 17 A sinner has no more in common with a devout person than a wolf has with a lamb.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Sirach 13:13 Some manuscripts add verses 13b-14: When you hear this in your sleep, wake up!
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
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Good News Translation (GNT) 
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