Sirach 13
13
Staying Humble
1Can you stay humble
if your friends are proud?
Only if you can handle tar
and stay clean!
2And watch out if your friends
are rich and powerful.
You cannot match their strength,
and you might be crushed,
just like a clay jar
struck by an iron pan.
3The rich oppress
and insult the poor,
then demand an apology!
4The rich will try to use you,
but if you need help,
don't bother to ask.
5When they come to visit you,
they will soak up
what little you have.
6If they need your help,
they smile and act kind
and even ask how they
can be of service.
But don't be fooled—
it's all lies!
7They will invite you to dinner,
but in the long run you'll pay
three times what it cost.
And when you have nothing left,
they will laugh and sneer
and keep their distance.
8So be smart and careful,
not deceived and humiliated.
9Important people
will want you around,
if you don't try too hard
to be their friend.
10Push yourself on them,
and you will face rejection;
act cold, and they will forget
that you are alive.
11Don't try to be their equal
or trust them when they
have long talks with you.
They are smiling,
but you are being tested.
12Those who tell secrets are cruel
and would just as soon hurt you
or send you to prison.
13Be careful! Don't risk disaster
by sharing your secrets.
14Wake up and pay attention!
Every day of your life,
love the Lord and pray
that he will protect you.#13.14 you: Some manuscripts do not have verse 14.
* 15Animals and people
16love their own kind.
17Wolves and lambs
have about as much in common
as sinners and God's people.
18Hyenas and dogs
are natural enemies,
just like the poor
and the rich.
19Desert lions will always feast
on wild donkeys,
and the rich will gobble up
the needy.
20The rich and proud
consider the poor and humble
to be disgusting.
The Rich and the Poor
21When the rich start to stumble
their friends lend a hand,
but let the poor fall down,
and their friends pretend
not to know them.
22When the rich are in trouble,
many will offer to help
and will even make excuses
when the rich insult them.
But let the poor get in trouble,
and all they get is criticism,
even if they speak wisely.
23When the rich speak,
everyone listens
with great respect.
But if the poor speak,
everyone asks, “Just who
do they think they are?”
And if the poor start to trip,
people give them a push.
24It's good to have wealth
if you got it honestly,
but don't be ungodly and claim
that being poor is evil.
Be Good to Yourself
25With one look at your face
anyone can see
if you are happy or sad.
26A smile shows you are happy,
and a tired look may mean
you have been trying too hard
to think up a proverb.
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Sirach 13: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.