Sirach 13

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith; and he that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like unto him.	1 Whoever touches pitch will be defiled, and anyone who associates with the proud wil come to be likethem.
2 Burden not thyself above thy power while thou livest; and have no fellowship with one that is mightier and richer than thyself: for how agree the kettle and the earthen pot together? for if the one be smitten against the other, it shall be broken.	2 Do not try to carry a burden too heavy for you, do not associate with someone more powerful andwealthy than yourself. Why put the clay pot next to the iron cauldron? It wil only break when they bang againsteach other.
3 The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and he must intreat also.	3 The rich does wrong and takes a high line; the poor is wronged and has to beg for pardon.
4 If thou be for his profit, he will use thee: but if thou have nothing, he will forsake thee.	4 If you are useful the rich will exploit you, if you go bankrupt he wil desert you.
5 If thou have any thing, he will live with thee: yea, he will make thee bare, and will not be sorry for it.	5 Are you well off? - he wil live with you, he will clean you out without a single qualm.
6 If he have need of thee, he will deceive thee, and smile upon thee, and put thee in hope; he will speak thee fair, and say, What wantest thou?	6 Does he need you? - he will hoodwink you, smile at you and raise your hopes; he wil speak politely toyou and say, 'Is there anything you need?'
7 And he will shame thee by his meats, until he have drawn thee dry twice or thrice, and at the last he will laugh thee to scorn afterward, when he seeth thee, he will forsake thee, and shake his head at thee.	7 He will make you feel smal at his dinner parties and, having cleaned you out two or three times over,wil end by laughing at you. Afterwards, when he sees you, he will avoid you and shake his head about you.
8 Beware that thou be not deceived and brought down in thy jollity.	8 Take care you are not hoodwinked and thus humiliated through your own stupidity.
9 If thou be invited of a mighty man, withdraw thyself, and so much the more will he invite thee.	9 When an influential person invites you, show reluctance, and he will press his invitation all the more.
10 Press thou not upon him, lest thou be put back; stand not far off, lest thou be forgotten.	10 Do not thrust yourself forward, in case you are pushed aside, but do not stand aloof, or you will beoverlooked.
11 Affect not to be made equal unto him in talk, and believe not his many words: for with much communication will he tempt thee, and smiling upon thee will get out thy secrets:	11 Do not affect to treat him as an equal, do not trust his flow of words; since all this talking is expresslymeant to test you, under cover of geniality he wil be weighing you up.
12 But cruelly he will lay up thy words, and will not spare to do thee hurt, and to put thee in prison.	12 Pitiless is anyone who retails gossip; he wil not spare you either blows or chains.
13 Observe, and take good heed, for thou walkest in peril of thy overthrowing: when thou hearest these things, awake in thy sleep.	13 Be wary, take very great care, because you are walking with your own downfal .
14 Love the Lord all thy life, and call upon him for thy salvation.	14
15 Every beast loveth his like, and every man loveth his neighbor.	15 Every living thing loves its own sort, and every man his fel ow.
16 All flesh consorteth according to kind, and a man will cleave to his like.	16 Every creature mixes with its kind, and human beings stick to their own sort.
17 What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb? so the sinner with the godly.	17 How can wolf and lamb agree? - Just so with sinner and devout.
18 What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog? and what peace between the rich and the poor?	18 What peace can there be between hyena and dog? And what peace between rich and poor?
19 As the wild ass is the lion's prey in the wilderness: so the rich eat up the poor.	19 Wild desert donkeys are the prey of lions; so too, the poor is the quarry of the rich.
20 As the proud hate humility: so doth the rich abhor the poor.	20 The proud thinks humility abhorrent; so too, the rich abominates the poor.
21 A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends: but a poor man being down is thrust away by his friends.	21 When the rich stumbles he is supported by friends; when the poor fal s, his friends push him away.
22 When a rich man is fallen, he hath many helpers: he speaketh things not to be spoken, and yet men justify him: the poor man slipped, and yet they rebuked him too; he spake wisely, and could have no place.	22 When the rich slips, there are many hands to catch him, if he talks nonsense he is congratulated. Thepoor slips, and is blamed for it, he may talk good sense, but no room is made for him.
23 When a rich man speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue, and, look, what he saith, they extol it to the clouds: but if the poor man speak, they say, What fellow is this? and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.	23 The rich speaks and everyone stops talking, and then they praise his discourse to the skies. The poorspeaks and people say, 'Who is this?' and if he stumbles, they trip him up yet more.
24 Riches are good unto him that hath no sin, and poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly.	24 Wealth is good where there is no sin, poverty is evil, the godless say.
25 The heart of a man changeth his countenance, whether it be for good or evil: and a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.	25 The heart moulds a person's expression whether for better or worse.
26 A cheerful countenance is a token of a heart that is in prosperity; and the finding out of parables is a wearisome labour of the mind.	26 Happy heart, cheerful expression; but wearisome work, inventing proverbs.