Sirach 13

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	EL LIBRO DEL PUEBLO DE DIOS
1 Whoever touches pitch will be contaminated by it. And whoever associates with the arrogant will be clothed by arrogance.	1 El que toca el betún se queda manchado, y el que trata con el orgulloso se vuelve igual a él.
2 Whoever associates with those more honorable than himself sets a burden on himself. And so, you should have no fellowship with someone who is wealthier than you.	2 No levantes una carga demasiado pesada, ni trates con uno más fuerte y más rico que tú: ¿puede el vaso de arcilla juntarse con la olla? Esta lo golpeará y aquel se romperá.
3 What will the cooking pot have in common with the earthen vessel? And when they collide with one another, one will be broken.	3 El rico agravia, y encima se envalentona; el pobre es agraviado, y encima pide disculpas.
4 The rich man has suffered no injustice, and yet he fumes. But the poor man, though he has been wounded, will remain silent.	4 Mientras le seas útil, te explotará, pero si no tienes nada, te abandonará.
5 If you are generous, he will take you up; and when you have nothing, he will cast you aside.	5 Si posees algo, vivirá contigo y te despojará sin lástima.
6 If you possess, he will feast with you, and he will empty you, and he will not grieve over you.	6 Cuando te necesite, tratará de engañarte, te sonreirá y te dará esperanzas; te dirigirá hermosas palabras y te preguntará: «¿Qué te hace falta?».
7 If he has need of you, he will deceive you; and while smiling, he will give you hope. He will converse with you pleasantly, and he will say: “What is it that you need?”	7 Te comprometerá con sus festejos hasta despojarte dos y tres veces, y al final se burlará de ti; después, cuando te vez, pasará de largo y meneará la cabeza delante de ti.
8 And he will impress you with his foods, until he has drained you two or three times, and in the very end, he will ridicule you. And afterward, when he sees you, he will abandon you, and he will shake his head at you.	8 Presta atención, para no dejarte engañar ni ser humillado por tu insensatez.
9 Humble yourself before God, and wait for his hands.	9 Cuando te invite un poderoso, quédate a distancia, y te invitará con más insistencia.
10 Be careful. Otherwise, having been seduced into foolishness, you will be humiliated.	10 No te precipites, para no ser rechazado, ni te quedes muy lejos, para no ser olvidado.
11 Do not choose to be low in your wisdom, otherwise, having been brought low, you will be seduced into foolishness.	11 No pretendas hablarle de igual a igual ni te fíes si conversa demasiado: él te pone a prueba con su locuacidad y te examina entre risa y risa.
12 If you are invited by someone who is more powerful than you, you should decline. Otherwise, he will invite you all the more.	12 El que no se modera al hablar, es un despiadado, y no te ahorrará ni los golpes ni las cadenas.
13 You cannot be rude to him, lest you be pushed away. And you cannot stray far from him, lest you be forgotten.	13 Observa bien y presta mucha atención, porque estás caminando al borde de tu ruina.
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.	14 [Cuando oigas esto en tu sueño, despiértate; ama al Señor toda tu vida e invócalo para tu salvación.]
15 His cruel mind will store up your words; and he will not spare you from affliction, nor from prison.	15 Todo animal quiere a su semejante y todo hombre, al de su misma condición;
16 Be cautious of yourself, and attend diligently to what you are hearing. For you are walking toward your own destruction.	16 todo ser viviente se une a los de su especie y el hombre, a uno semejante a él.
17 Yet truly, while listening to these things, consider it as if it were a dream, and you will awaken.	17 ¿Qué tienen de común el lobo y el cordero? Así pasa con el pecador y el hombre bueno.
18 Love God for your entire life, and call upon him for your salvation.	18 ¿Qué paz puede haber entre la hiena y el perro? ¿Y qué paz entre el rico y el pobre?
19 Every animal loves its own kind; so also every man loves those closest to himself.	19 Los asnos salvajes en el desierto son presa de los leones: así los pobres son pasto de los ricos.
20 All flesh will join with whatever is similar to itself, and every man will associate with whomever is similar to himself.	20 La humillación es abominable para el soberbio: así el rico abomina del pobre.
21 If a wolf would at any time have fellowship with a lamb, so also would a sinner have fellowship with the just.	21 Cuando un rico da un mal paso, sus amigos lo sostienen; cuando un pobre cae, sus amigos lo rechazan.
22 What fellowship does a holy man have with a dog? Or what portion do the wealthy have with the poor?	22 Si un rico resbala, muchos corren en su ayuda; dice cosas irrepetibles, y le dan la razón. Resbala el humilde, y lo critican; se expresa con sensatez, y nadie le hace caso.
23 In the desert, the wild donkey is the prey of the lion. So also are the poor the pasture of the rich.	23 Si el rico habla, todos se callan y ponen sus palabras por las nubes; habla el pobre, y preguntan: «¿Quién es este?», y si tropieza, le dan un empujón.
24 And just as humility is an abomination to the arrogant, so also does the rich man abhor the poor man.	24 Buena es la riqueza, si está libre de pecado, y mala es la pobreza a juicio del impío.
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.	25 El corazón de un hombre lo hace cambiar de semblante, tanto para bien como para mal:
26 When a rich man has been deceived, many will help him recover; he has spoken arrogantly, and yet they justify him.	26 un rostro alegre refleja la dicha del corazón, y la invención de proverbios exige penosas reflexiones.
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.
28 The rich man has spoken, and all remain silent, and they repeat his words, even to the clouds.
29 The poor man has spoken, and they say: “Who is this?” And if he stumbles, they will overthrow him.
30 Substance is good for him who has no sin on his conscience. And poverty is called very wicked by the mouth of the impious.
31 The heart of a man changes his face, either for better or for worse.
32 You will find, with difficulty and much labor, the sign of a good heart and a good face.