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Wisdom of Ben Sira 8:1-2
New Catholic Bible
Wisdom of Ben Sira 8:1-2
New Catholic Bible
Circumspection and Reflection: Various Cases
Chapter 8
Prudence in Dealing with Others
1 [a]Do not oppose one who is powerful,
lest you fall into his hands.
2 Do not quarrel with a rich man,
for he may use his resources to prevail over you.
For gold has been the cause of the downfall of many
and has perverted the hearts of kings.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 8:1 The author advises his readers not to go up against the rich or powerful either physically (Deut 33:7), or verbally by quarreling (Gen 26:20), or juridically, i.e., by a lawsuit (Isa 3:13; 57:16)—for they have no chance of winning. In the second verse, there is a hint of offering a bribe to a judge in order to influence his verdict, something that was condemned (Sir 20:29; Ex 23:8; Deut 16:19).
