Sirach 13

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Whoever touches pitch will be defiled, and whoever associates with a proud man will become like him.	1 He who touches pitch blackens his hand; he who associates with an impious man learns his ways.
2 Do not lift a weight beyond your strength, nor associate with a man mightier and richer than you. How can the clay pot associate with the iron kettle? The pot will strike against it, and will itself be broken.	2 Bear no burden too heavy for you; go with no one greater or wealthier than yourself. How can the earthen pot go with the metal cauldron? When they knock together, the pot will be smashed:
3 A rich man does wrong, and he even adds reproaches; a poor man suffers wrong, and he must add apologies.	3 The rich man does wrong and boasts of it, the poor man is wronged and begs forgiveness.
4 A rich man will exploit you if you can be of use to him, but if you are in need he will forsake you.	4 As long as the rich man can use you he will enslave you, but when you are exhausted, he will abandon you.
5 If you own something, he will live with you; he will drain your resources and he will not care.	5 As long as you have anything he will speak fair words to you, and with smiles he will win your confidence;
6 When he needs you he will deceive you, he will smile at you and give you hope. He will speak to you kindly and say, "What do you need?"	6 When he needs something from you he will cajole you, then without regret he will impoverish you.
7 He will shame you with his foods, until he has drained you two or three times; and finally he will deride you. Should he see you afterwards, he will forsake you, and shake his head at you.	7 While it serves his purpose he will beguile you, then twice or three times he will terrify you; When later he sees you he will pass you by, and shake his head over you.
8 Take care not to be led astray, and not to be humiliated in your feasting.	8 Guard against being presumptuous; be not as those who lack sense.
9 When a powerful man invites you, be reserved; and he will invite you the more often.	9 When invited by a man of influence, keep your distance; then he will urge you all the more.
10 Do not push forward, lest you be repulsed; and do not remain at a distance, lest you be forgotten.	10 Be not bold with him lest you be rebuffed, but keep not too far away 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.	11 Engage not freely in discussion with him, trust not his many words; For by prolonged talk he will test you, and though smiling he will probe you.
12 Cruel is he who does not keep words to himself; he will not hesitate to injure or to imprison.	12 Mercilessly he will make of you a laughingstock, and will not refrain from injury or chains.
13 Keep words to yourself and be very watchful, for you are walking about with your own downfall.	13 Be on your guard and take care never to accompany men of violence.
14 .	14 Every living thing loves its own kind, every man a man like himself.
15 Every creature loves its like, and every person his neighbor;	15 Every being is drawn to its own kind; with his own kind every man associates.
16 all living beings associate by species, and a man clings to one like himself.	16 Is a wolf ever allied with a lamb? So it is with the sinner and the just.
17 What fellowship has a wolf with a lamb? No more has a sinner with a godly man.	17 Can there be peace between the hyena and the dog? Or between the rich and the poor can there be peace?
18 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? And what peace between a rich man and a poor man?	18 Lion's prey are the wild asses of the desert; so too the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.
19 Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions; likewise the poor are pastures for the rich.	19 A proud man abhors lowliness; so does the rich man abhor the poor.
20 Humility is an abomination to a proud man; likewise a poor man is an abomination to a rich one.	20 When a rich man stumbles he is supported by a friend; when a poor man trips he is pushed down by a friend.
21 When a rich man totters, he is steadied by friends, but when a humble man falls, he is even pushed away by friends.	21 Many are the supporters for a rich man when he speaks; though what he says is odious, it wins approval. When a poor man speaks they make sport of him; he speaks wisely and no attention is paid him.
22 If a rich man slips, his helpers are many; he speaks unseemly words, and they justify him. If a humble man slips, they even reproach him; he speaks sensibly, and receives no attention.	22 A rich man speaks and all are silent, his wisdom they extol to the clouds. A poor man speaks and they say: "Who is that?" If he slips they cast him down.
23 When the rich man speaks all are silent, and they extol to the clouds what he says. When the poor man speaks they say, "Who is this fellow?" And should he stumble, they even push him down.	23 Wealth is good when there is no sin; but poverty is evil by the standards of the proud.
24 Riches are good if they are free from sin, and poverty is evil in the opinion of the ungodly.	24 The heart of a man changes his countenance, either for good or for evil.
25 A man's heart changes his countenance, either for good or for evil.	25 The sign of a good heart is a cheerful countenance; withdrawn and perplexed is the laborious schemer.
26 The mark of a happy heart is a cheerful face, but to devise proverbs requires painful thinking.