Sirach · WEB-C
Sirach
13
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He who touches pitch will be defiled. He who has fellowship with a proud man will become like him. Don’t take up a burden above your strength. Have no fellowship with one who is mightier and richer than yourself. What fellowship would the earthen pot have with the kettle? The kettle will strike, and the pot will be dashed in pieces. The rich man does a wrong and threatens. The poor is wronged and apologizes. If you are profitable, he will exploit you. If you are in need, he will forsake you. If you own something, he will live with you. He will drain your resources and will not be sorry. Does he need you? Then he will deceive you, smile at you, and give you hope. He will speak kindly to you and say, “What do you need?” He will shame you by his delicacies until he has made you bare twice or thrice, and in the end he will laugh you to scorn. Afterward he will see you, will forsake you, and shake his head at you. Beware that you are not deceived and brought low in your enjoyment. If a mighty man invites you, be reserved, and he will invite you more. Don’t press him, lest you be thrust back. Don’t stand far off, lest you be forgotten. Don’t try to speak with him as an equal, and don’t believe his many words; for he will test you with much talk, and will examine you in a smiling manner. He who doesn’t keep secrets to himself is unmerciful. He won’t hesitate to harm and to bind. Keep them to yourself and be careful, for you walk in danger of falling. Every living creature loves its own kind, and every man loves his neighbor. All flesh associates with their own kind. A man will stick to people like himself. What fellowship would the wolf have with the lamb? So is the sinner to the godly. What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? What peace is there between a rich man and the poor? Wild donkeys are the prey of lions in the wilderness; likewise poor men are feeding grounds for the rich. Lowliness is an abomination to a proud man; likewise a poor man is an abomination to the rich. When a rich man is shaken, he is supported by his friends, but when the humble is down, he is pushed away even by his friends. When a rich man falls, there are many helpers. He speaks things not to be spoken, and men justify him. A humble man falls, and men rebuke him. He utters wisdom, and is not listened to. A rich man speaks, and all keep silence. They extol what he says to the clouds. A poor man speaks, and they say, “Who is this?” If he stumbles, they will help to overthrow him. Riches are good if they have no sin. Poverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly. The heart of a man changes his countenance, whether it is for good or for evil. A cheerful countenance is a sign of a prosperous heart. Devising proverbs takes strenuous thinking.
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Notes · Haydock (1859, public domain)16 notes
Notes in English 19th-century Catholic commentary by Fr. George Leo Haydock, shown as published.
These notes keep the polemics of their time: some speak harshly of the Jewish people or of other Christians. The Church teaches otherwise today. The Jewish people may not be blamed for the death of Christ (Nostra Aetate 4; Catechism 597–598), and Christians of other communities are our brothers and sisters in the Lord (Unitatis Redintegratio 3). Christian unity
Sirach 13:1
Ver. 1. Pride. We are naturally prone to it, and the friendship and manners of the proud will increase it. C. --- If, therefore, the rich be not virtuous, it is dangerous to keep their company, (W.) both for this and the next world.
↑ 1Sirach 13:3
Ver. 3. Kettle. Made of iron. It will presently be broken. So the poor must suffer, if they marry, or have society with those who are much above their rank. C.
↑ 3Sirach 13:7
Ver. 7. Thou? Distrust those who promise much. C. --- Spem pretio non emo.
Ter.
↑ 7Sirach 13:8
Ver. 8. Drawn. Lit. "exhaust." H. --- He will feast thee, while he wants thy service, or he will come to dine with thee, and thus reduce thee to distress.
Prov. xxiii. 1. C.
↑ 8Sirach 13:10
Ver. 10. Humbled. By foolishly attempting to rival the sumptuous feasts of the great. V. 9. and 11. are not in the Greek. H.
↑ 10Sirach 13:11
Ver. 11. Wisdom. Depend not on others' bounty. M. --- When the cause of God is at stake, be firm, like S. Paul. C. --- Pusillanimity in a superior might cause him to neglect his duty. W.
↑ 11Sirach 13:14
Ver. 14. Concerning, &c. is not expressed in Gr. H. --- If a person be so weak as to disclose his secret to a great man, he will never be trusted by him. C.
↑ 14Sirach 13:17
Ver. 17. Awake. Be cautious even in sleep, if possible; or seem not to hear what passes at court.
C.
↑ 17Sirach 13:19
Ver. 19. Himself. Similarity of manners and of condition is favourable to friendship. C. --- The good and bad cannot be friends, their manners are so different. Cic.
↑ 19Sirach 13:21
Ver. 21. Lamb. Christ has taught people of different tempers to embrace the faith, which shows his admirable power. Is. xi. 6.
↑ 21Sirach 13:25
Ver. 25. Away. Ps. lxi. 4. C. --- "It is human to push those who are falling." Cic.
pro Rabir.
↑ 25Sirach 13:26
Ver. 26. Helpers. Who prevent his ruin, (C.) and turn his words to good sense.
M. --- Proud.
Gr. "what should not be disclosed," aporreta. H. C. --- Their "fault increases, being fed by applause." S. Greg. Mor. iv. 29.
↑ 26Sirach 13:28
Ver. 28. Clouds. People suppose that the rich must possess genius. Hor. ii. Sat.
iii. --- "Every one honours the rich." Theog. C. --- Exception of persons hinders many good counsels, and promotes evil. W.
↑ 28Sirach 13:30
Ver. 30. Ungodly. The abuse of riches is alone blameable. All things are clean for the clean, while the wicked perverts every advantage.
↑ 30Sirach 13:31
Ver. 31. Evil. Sorrow will manifest itself. C. --- Imago animi vultus. Cic. Decorat.
iii.
↑ 31Sirach 13:32
Ver. 32. Find. Few are perfectly sincere. C. --- Gr. "a cheerful countenance is the vestige of a heart in good things, (H. prosperity. M.) and the discovery of parables is the effect of laborious enquiries." H. --- Study makes the countenance serious. C.
↑ 32License: Notes by Fr. George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), from the Douay-Rheims Bible with Haydock's commentary (first ed. Thomas Haydock, Manchester/Dublin, 1811–1814; New York: Edward Dunigan & Brother, 1859); New Testament notes compiled with Fr. Benedict Rayment. Public domain. Digital text: "The Haydock Bible", Internet Archive (archive.org/details/TheHaydockBible), uploaded 2011 under the Public Domain Mark. · Credits and licenses