CHAPTER 13
1 He that toucheth pitch, shall be defouled of (or by) it; and he that communeth with a proud man, shall (be) clothe(d)(with)[or in] pride*.
2 He raiseth [or taketh] a weight [up] on himself, that communeth with a more honest (or more honoured) man than himself; and be thou not fellow to a man richer than thou. What (or How) shall a caldron commune to (or with) a pot? for when those hurtle themselves together, the pot shall be broken.
3 A rich man shall do unjustly, and shall gnash, as ready yet to do worse; but a poor man hurt shall be still [or shall hold his peace].
4 If thou givest, he shall take (from) thee; and if thou hast not, he shall forsake thee.
5 If thou hast, he shall live together with thee, and shall make thee void; and he shall not have sorrow on thee.
6 If thou art needful [or necessary] to him, he shall deceive [or beguile] thee; and he shall flatter, and shall give hope, telling to thee all goods (or every good thing); and shall say, What is need to thee [or What need is to thee]?
7 And he shall shame thee in his meats, till he annihilate or extinguish thee twice and thrice, and at the last he shall scorn thee; afterward he shall see, and shall forsake thee, and he shall move his head to (or at) thee. Be thou made meek to God, and abide thou his hands.
8 Take heed, lest thou be deceived, and be made low in folly. Do not thou be low in thy wisdom, lest thou be made low, and be deceived into folly.
9 When thou art called of (or by) a mightier man, go thou away; for by this he shall more call thee.
10 Be thou not greatly pressing, lest thou be hurtled down; and be thou not far from him, lest thou go into forgetting.
11 Withhold thou not to speak with him evenly, that is, speak thou to him without reverence, and believe thou not to his many words; for of (or with) much speech he shall tempt thee, and he shall laugh privily, and shall ask thee of (or about) thine hid things.
12 His cruel soul shall keep thy words, and he shall not spare of [or from] malice, and of [or from] bonds.
13 Beware to thee, and take heed diligently to thine hearing; for thou goest with thy destroying. But thou hearing those things, see as in sleep, and thou shalt wake.
14 In all thy life love thou God, and inwardly call thou him in thine health, that is, for thine health (or thy deliverance), (both) temporal and everlasting.
15 Each beast loveth a beast like itself; so and each man oweth (or ought) to love his neighbour.
16 Each flesh shall be joined to flesh like itself, and each man shall be fellowshipped to a man like himself.
17 As a wolf shall commune some-time with a lamb, so a sinner with a just [or a rightwise] man.
18 What communing [or communi-cation]is of an holy man to (or with) a dog? either what good part is of a rich man to (or with) a poor man?
19 The hunting of a lion is a wild ass in (the) desert [or wilderness]; so (in) the pastures of rich men be poor men.
20 And as meekness is (an) abomi-nation to a proud man, so and a poor man is (an) abomination of (or to) a rich man.
21 A rich man moved, that is, disturbed, either hurled, is confirmed of (or by) his friends; but a meek man, when he falleth, shall be cast [or put] out, yea, of (his) known men (or by his friends).
22 Many recoverers (or helpers) be to a rich man deceived; he spake proudly, and they justified him. (But) A meek man is deceived, furthermore also he is reproved; he spake wisely, and no place was given to him.
23 The rich man spake, and all men were still [or held their peace]; and they shall bring [or shall bear] his word till to the clouds. (But) A poor man spake, and they say, Who is this? and if he offendeth (or if he stumble), they shall destroy him.
24 Chattel [or substance] is good to him, to whom is no sin in conscience; and the worst poverty is in the mouth of a wicked man [or the unpious].
25 The heart of a man changeth his face, either in good either in evil. Of hard and with travail, thou shalt find the step of a good heart, and a good face (together).
26 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)
* CHAPTER 13:1 For why men be inclined to undue desire of (or for) their own excellence, wherein pride standeth, wherefore it cleaveth lightly (or easily) to a man.