Sirach

¹ He that sheweth mercy will lend unto his neighbour; And he that strengtheneth him with his hand keepeth the commandments.

² Lend to thy neighbour in time of his need; And pay thou thy neighbour again in due season.

³ Confirm thy word, and keep faith with him; And at all seasons thou shalt find what thou needest.

⁴ Many have reckoned a loan as a windfall, And have given trouble to those that helped them.

⁵ Till he hath received, he will kiss a man’s hands; And for his neighbour’s money he will speak submissly: And when payment is due, he will prolong the time, And return words of heaviness, and complain of the times.

⁶ If he prevail, he shall hardly receive the half; And he will count it as a windfall: If not, he hath deprived him of his money, And he hath gotten him for an enemy without cause: He will pay him with cursings and railings; And for honour he will pay him disgrace.

⁷ Many on account of men’s ill-dealing have turned away; They have feared to be defrauded for nought.

⁸ Howbeit with a man in poor estate be longsuffering; And let him not wait for thine alms.

⁹ Help a poor man for the commandment’s sake; And according to his need send him not empty away.

¹⁰ Lose thy money for a brother and a friend; And let it not rust under the stone to be lost.

¹¹ Bestow thy treasure according to the commandments of the Most High; And it shall profit thee more than gold.

¹² Shut up alms in thy store-chambers; And it shall deliver thee out of all affliction:

¹³ It shall fight for thee against thine enemy Better than a mighty shield and a ponderous spear.

¹⁴ A good man will be surety for his neighbour; And he that hath lost shame will fail him.

¹⁵ Forget not the good offices of thy surety; For he hath given his life for thee.

¹⁶ A sinner will overthrow the good estate of his surety;

¹⁷ And he that is of an unthankful mind will fail him that delivered him.

¹⁸ Suretiship hath undone many that were prospering, And shaken them as a wave of the sea: Mighty men hath it driven from their homes; And they wandered among strange nations.

¹⁹ A sinner that falleth into suretiship, And undertaketh contracts for work, shall fall into lawsuits.

²⁰ Help thy neighbour according to thy power, And take heed to thyself that thou fall not to the same.

²¹ The chief thing for life is water, and bread, And a garment, and a house to cover shame.

²² Better is the life of a poor man under a shelter of logs, Than sumptuous fare in another man’s house.

²³ With little or with much, be well satisfied.

²⁴ It is a miserable life to go from house to house: And where thou art a sojourner, thou shalt not dare to open thy mouth.

²⁵ Thou shalt entertain, and give to drink, and have no thanks: And besides this thou shalt hear bitter words.

²⁶ Come hither, thou sojourner, furnish a table, And if thou hast aught in thy hand, feed me with it.

²⁷ Go forth, thou sojourner, from the face of honour; My brother is come to be my guest; I have need of my house.

²⁸ These things are grievous to a man of understanding; The upbraiding of house-room, and the reproaching of the money-lender.