BenSira:13
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He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith ;
and he that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like unto him .
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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 .
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The rich man hath done wrong ,
and yet he threateneth withal :
the poor is wronged ,
and he must intreat also .
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If thou be for his profit ,
he will use thee :
but if thou have nothing ,
he will forsake thee .
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If thou have any thing ,
he will live with thee :
yea ,
he will make thee bare ,
and will not be sorry for it .
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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 ?
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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 .
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Beware that thou be not deceived and brought down in thy jollity .
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If thou be invited of a mighty man ,
withdraw thyself ,
and so much the more will he invite thee .
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Press thou not upon him ,
lest thou be put back ;
stand not far off ,
lest thou be forgotten .
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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 :
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But cruelly he will lay up thy words ,
and will not spare to do thee hurt ,
and to put thee in prison .
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Observe ,
and take good heed ,
for thou walkest in peril of thy overthrowing :
when thou hearest these things ,
awake in thy sleep .
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Love the Lord all thy life ,
and call upon him for thy salvation .
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Every beast loveth his like ,
and every man loveth his neighbor .
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All flesh consorteth according to kind ,
and a man will cleave to his like .
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What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb ?
so the sinner with the godly .
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What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog ?
and what peace between the rich and the poor ?
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As the wild ass is the lion '
s prey in the wilderness :
so the rich eat up the poor .
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As the proud hate humility :
so doth the rich abhor the poor .
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A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends :
but a poor man being down is thrust away by his friends .
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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 .
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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 .
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Riches are good unto him that hath no sin ,
and poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly .
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The heart of a man changeth his countenance ,
whether it be for good or evil :
and a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance .
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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 .