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CHAPTER 13
1 He that toucheth pitch, shall be defouled of it; and he that communeth with a proud man, shall be clothed with[or in] pride*For why men be inclined to undue desire of their own excellence, wherein pride standeth, wherefore it cleaveth lightly to a man..
2 He raiseth a weight on himself [or Burden upon him he taketh], that communeth with a more rich man than himself; and be thou not fellow to a man richer than thou. What shall a caldron commune to a pot? for when those [or they] hurtle them-selves together, the pot shall be broken.
3 A rich man shall do unjustly [or unrightwisely], 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 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 thee; and he shall flatter, and shall give hope, telling to thee all goods; 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 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 a mightier man, go thou away; for by this he shall more call thee.
10 Be thou not greatly pressing [or too greedy], lest thou be hurtled down [or be put again]; 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 much speech he shall tempt thee, and he shall laugh privily, and shall ask thee of 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 [or thy turning upside-down]. But thou hear-ing those things, see as in sleep, and thou shalt wake.
14 In all thy life love thou God [or love God], and inwardly call thou him in thine health, that is, for thine health, temporal and everlasting.
15 Each beast loveth a beast like itself; so and each man oweth 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 rightwise] man.
18 What communing [or communi-cation]is of an holy man to a dog? either what good part is of a rich man to a poor man?
19 The hunting of a lion is a wild ass in desert [or wilderness]; so in the pastures of rich men be poor men.
20 And as meekness is abomination to a proud man, so and a poor man is abomination of a rich man.
21 A rich man moved, that is, disturbed, either hurled, is confirmed of his friends; but a meek man, when he falleth, shall be cast out, yea, of known men [or shall be put out also from known].
22 Many recoverers be to a rich man deceived; he spake proudly, and they justified him. 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. A poor man spake, and they say, Who is this? and if he offendeth, they shall destroy him.
24 Chattel is good to him, to whom is no sin in conscience; and the worst poverty is in the mouth of a wicked man. [Good is substance, to whom is not sin in conscience; and most wicked is poorness in the mouth of 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.
26 (This verse is omitted in the original text.)

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*CHAPTER 13:1 For why men be inclined to undue desire of their own excellence, wherein pride standeth, wherefore it cleaveth lightly to a man.

© 2001,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015 Terry Noble