1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Sirach 13:1 | He *that toucheth pitch, shall be defiled with it: and he that hath fellowship with the proud, shall put on pride. Deuteronomy 7:2. | Pride. We are naturally prone to it, and the friendship and manners of the proud will increase it. (Calmet) --- If, therefore, the rich be not virtuous, it is dangerous to keep their company, (Worthington) both for this and the next world. |
| Sirach 13:2 | He shall take a burden upon him that hath fellowship with one more honourable than himself. And have no fellowship with one that is richer than thyself. | |
| Sirach 13:3 | What agreement shall the earthen pot have with the kettle? for if they knock one against the other, it shall be broken. | 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. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 13:4 | The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he will fume: but the poor is wronged, and must hold his peace. | |
| Sirach 13:5 | If thou give, he will make use of thee: and if thou have nothing, he will forsake thee. | |
| Sirach 13:6 | If thou have any thing, he will live with thee, and will make thee bare, and he will not be sorry for thee. | |
| Sirach 13:7 | If he have need of thee, he will deceive thee; and smiling upon thee, will put thee in hope; he will speak thee fair, and will say: What wantest thou? | Thou? Distrust those who promise much. (Calmet) --- Spem pretio non emo. (Tertullian) |
| Sirach 13:8 | And he will shame thee by his meats, till he have drawn thee dry twice or thrice, and at last he will laugh at thee: and afterward, when he seeth thee, he will forsake thee, and shake his head at thee. | Drawn. Literally, "exhaust." (Haydock) --- He will feast thee, while he wants thy service, or he will come to dine with thee, and thus reduce thee to distress, Proverbs 23:1. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 13:9 | Humble thyself to God, and wait for his hands. | |
| Sirach 13:10 | Beware that thou be not deceived Into folly, and be humbled. | Humbled. By foolishly attempting to rival the sumptuous feasts of the great. Ver. 9., and 11., are not in the Greek. (Haydock) |
| Sirach 13:11 | Be not lowly in thy wisdom, lest being humbled thou be deceived into folly. | Wisdom. Depend not on others' bounty. (Menochius) --- When the cause of God is at stake, be firm, like St. Paul. (Calmet) --- Pusillanimity in a superior might cause him to neglect his duty. (Worthington) |
| Sirach 13:12 | If thou be invited by one that is mightier, withdraw thyself: for so he will invite thee the more. | |
| Sirach 13:13 | Be not troublesome to him, lest thou be put back: and keep not far from him, lest thou be forgotten. | |
| Sirach 13:14 | Affect not to speak with him as an equal: and believe not his many words: for by much talk he will sift thee, and smiling, will examine thee concerning thy secrets. | Concerning, etc., is not expressed in Greek. (Haydock) --- If a person be so weak as to disclose his secret to a great man, he will never be trusted by him. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 13:15 | His cruel mind will lay up thy words: and he will not spare to do thee hurt, and to cast thee into prison. | |
| Sirach 13:16 | Take heed to thyself, and attend diligently to what thou hearest: for thou walkest in danger of thy ruin. | |
| Sirach 13:17 | When thou hearest those things, see as it were in sleep, and thou shalt awake. | Awake. Be cautious even in sleep, if possible; or seem not to hear what passes at court. (Calmet) |
| Sirach 13:18 | Love God all thy life, and call upon him for thy salvation. | |
| Sirach 13:19 | Every beast loveth its like: so also every man him that is nearest to himself. | Himself. Similarity of manners and of condition is favourable to friendship. (Calmet) --- The good and bad cannot be friends, their manners are so different. (Cicero) |
| Sirach 13:20 | All flesh shall consort with the like to itself, and every man shall associate himself to his like. | |
| Sirach 13:21 | If the wolf shall at any time have fellowship with the lamb, so the sinner with the just. | Lamb. Christ has taught people of different tempers to embrace the faith, which shows his admirable power, Isaias 11:6. |
| Sirach 13:22 | *What fellowship hath a holy man with a dog, or what part hath the rich with the poor? 2 Corinthians 6:14. | |
| Sirach 13:23 | The wild ass is the lion's prey, in the desert: so also the poor are devoured by the rich. | |
| Sirach 13:24 | And as humility is an abomination to the proud, so also the rich man abhorreth the poor. | |
| Sirach 13:25 | When a rich man is shaken, he is kept up by his friends; but when a poor man is fallen down, he is thrust away even by his acquaintance. | Away. Psalm 61:4. (Calmet) --- "It is inhuman to push those who are falling." (Cicero, pro Rabir.) |
| Sirach 13:26 | When a rich man hath been deceived, he hath many helpers: he hath spoken proud things, and they have justified him. | Helpers. Who prevent his ruin, (Calmet) and turn his words to good sense. (Menochius) --- Proud. Greek, "what should not be disclosed," aporreta. (Haydock) (Calmet) --- Their "fault increases, being fed by applause." (St. Gregory, Mor. 4:29.) |
| Sirach 13:27 | The poor man was deceived, and he is rebuked also: he hath spoken wisely, and could have no place. | |
| Sirach 13:28 | The rich man spoke, and all held their peace; and what he said, they extol even to the clouds. | Clouds. People suppose that the rich must possess genius. (Horace, 2:Sat. iii.) --- "Every one honours the rich." (Theog.) (Calmet) --- Exception of persons hinders many good counsels, and promotes evil. (Worthington) |
| Sirach 13:29 | The poor man spoke, and they say: Who is this? and if he stumble, they will overthrow him. | |
| Sirach 13:30 | Riches are good to him that hath no sin in his conscience: and poverty is very wicked in the mouth of the ungodly. | Ungodly. The abuse of riches is alone blameable. All things are clean for the clean, while the wicked perverts every advantage. |
| Sirach 13:31 | The heart of a man changeth his countenance, either for good or for evil. | Evil. Sorrow will manifest itself. (Calmet) --- Imago animi vultus. (Cicero, Decorat. iii.) |
| Sirach 13:32 | The token of a good heart, and a good countenance, thou shalt hardly find, and with labour. | Find. Few are perfectly sincere. (Calmet) --- Greek, "a cheerful countenance is the vestige of a heart in good things, (Haydock; prosperity, Menochius) and the discovery of parables is the effect of laborious enquiries." (Haydock) --- Study makes the countenance serious. (Calmet) |