Thought for the day

3 Rich people inflict injury,
   but then act as if they’re the ones
   who have been wronged;
     the poor suffer injury,
     but they’re the ones
     who must apologize.
4 If you are useful to the rich,
   they will work with you,
     but if you are in need,
   they will abandon you.
5 If you own anything,
   they will live with you;
     they will exhaust what you have,
     and they won’t suffer.
6 If they need you, they will deceive you
     and smile at you and give you hope;
     they will speak nicely to you and say,
     “What do you need?”
7 They will embarrass you
   with their fine foods,
     until they have cleaned you out
     two or three times over.
     In the end they will mock you,
     and after these things,
     they will see you and abandon you
     and shake their heads at you.

Sir. 13:8    Take care that you don’t go astray,
     and don’t be humiliated
     by your own foolishness.
9 When powerful people invite you,
   show yourself reluctant,
     and they will invite you all the more.
10 Don’t be forward,
   or you might be rejected;
     and don’t stand far off,
     or you might be forgotten.
11 Don’t think that you can speak
   with them as an equal,
     and don’t trust in their
   lengthy conversations,
     because they will test you
     with a lot of talking;
     and when they are smiling, they are really examining you.
12 Those who won’t guard your secrets
   are cruel,
     and they won’t spare you
     from mistreatment
     and imprisonment.
13 Be on guard and pay attention,
     because you are tiptoeing
     around your own downfall.—Sir 13:3–13 (CEB)

<idle musing>
I try to read through the Deuterocanonical books every year, usually in December. I'm a bit behind schedule this year, only being in Sirach now.

Every year I notice something new. This year I was struck by the similarity of Wisdom to sections of Romans and Hebrews. I'll have to pursue that a bit…
</idle musing>