Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

1Do not fight with a great man; Why become destitute by his hand.

2Do not fight with one harder than you; Why fall by his hand.

3Do not ?plow? over a man without wealth; Perhaps he will weigh your money and you will lose.

4For gold has made many reckless, and perverted [shin] the hearts of kings.

5Do not quarrel with a man of tongues, and heap not wood upon his fire.

6Be not accustomed with a foolish man, lest thy ancestors be disgraced.

7Do not humiliate a person returning from sin; remember we are all guilty.

8Do not be wicked to an old person; remember, we shall be reckoned old too.

9Do not rejoice over a corpse; remember that we all gathered away.

10Do not forsake the rules of the wise, and tread not on their proverbs,

11[And even their mundane talk do not disparage,] for it will stand you before noblemen, and from you they will learn instruction.

12Do not despise the discourse of the aged, of what they heard from their fathers,

13for from them thou shalt learn prudence, and in a time of need to respond proverbially. [Interpretation: folk ideas have hidden local knowledge and social truths that can be hard to parse at first.]

14Do not prosper in the estate of evil, lest thou be burnt with the flame of his fire.

15Do not be amiable with the scorner, lest he turn & ambush you. [Interpretation: if he is bad-mouthing others, in short time he will do so about you.]

16Do not lend to a person more powerful than you, and if lent, deem it lost.

17Be not surety above thy ability; if thou be surety, set it aside as if paid.

18Do not to litigate with a judge; for they will judge him according to his favor.

19With a heartless person do not travel, lest you burden your companion;

20And so he will travel straight ahead [rashly], and by his folly you will perish. [Interpretation: someone who is careless of others, will act without regard to your needs.]

21With a hot-tempered person do not be brazen, and do not travel with him;

22Because bloodshed is light in his eyes, and where no rescuer, he'll waste you.

23With a gullible one do not consult, for he cannot cover your secrets.

24In the presence of a stranger do not do something odd [secret; council], for you do not know the consequences. [Interpretation: people may misconstrue different behavior and report as something it is not.]

25Not with all men should one rejoice, and do not rinse [push-off] from yourself the [their] good. [Interpretation: don't be rejoiceful with everyone, for they may resent you; also, when someone does something good to you, acknowledge it gracefully, even if unwanted, so not to embarrass them.]