Old Testament

New Testament

Sirach 13:13-27 Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

13. You cannot be rude to him, lest you be pushed away. And you cannot stray far from him, lest you be forgotten.

14. You cannot hold a discussion with him as with an equal. You should not trust his many words. For by much talking, he will probe you, and while smiling, he will question you about your secrets.

15. His cruel mind will store up your words; and he will not spare you from affliction, nor from prison.

16. Be cautious of yourself, and attend diligently to what you are hearing. For you are walking toward your own destruction.

17. Yet truly, while listening to these things, consider it as if it were a dream, and you will awaken.

18. Love God for your entire life, and call upon him for your salvation.

19. Every animal loves its own kind; so also every man loves those closest to himself.

20. All flesh will join with whatever is similar to itself, and every man will associate with whomever is similar to himself.

21. If a wolf would at any time have fellowship with a lamb, so also would a sinner have fellowship with the just.

22. What fellowship does a holy man have with a dog? Or what portion do the wealthy have with the poor?

23. In the desert, the wild donkey is the prey of the lion. So also are the poor the pasture of the rich.

24. And just as humility is an abomination to the arrogant, so also does the rich man abhor the poor man.

25. When a wealthy man has been shaken, he is strengthened by his friends. But when a lowly man has fallen, he is expelled even by those who know him well.

26. When a rich man has been deceived, many will help him recover; he has spoken arrogantly, and yet they justify him.

27. When a poor man has been deceived, in addition he is rebuked; he has spoken with understanding, and no place is given to him.

Read complete chapter Sirach 13