Wisdom of Ben Sira 22:19-26
New Catholic Bible
Friendship Does Not Dispense with Tact[a]
19 Jab an eye and you will bring tears;
jab a heart and you will lay bare its feelings.
20 If you throw a stone at birds, you frighten them away;
if you revile a friend, you destroy a friendship.
21 If you draw a sword against a friend,
do not despair, for it can still be undone.
22 If you have quarreled with a friend,
do not fear, for you can still be reconciled.
But as for taunts, arrogance, betrayal of secrets, and stabs in the back—
these will drive away any friend.
23 Be faithful to your neighbor while he is poor
so that you may later rejoice with him in his good fortune.
Stand by him in times of distress
so that you may share with him in his inheritance.
[For no one should ever despise someone’s appearance
or marvel at a stupid man who is rich.][b]
24 Just as the fumes and smoke of a furnace precede the flames,
so do insults precede bloodshed.
25 I will not be ashamed to shelter a friend,
nor will I hide myself from him.
26 But if harm should come to me because of him,
everyone who hears about it will beware of him.
Footnotes
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 22:19 Friendship does not dispense from tact. True, it may surmount misunderstandings and obstacles, but behaviors can kill it. Verses 23-24 deal with a more general manner of relations in society.
- Wisdom of Ben Sira 22:23 Added by some early MSS.
