1 ① Lending to your neighbor is an act of mercy, going to his aid fulfills the commandments.
2Learn to lend to your neighbor when he is in need and, in turn, repay him any loan on time.
3Keep your word, remain faithful and you will find what you need on every occasion.
4Many think of a loan as a quick deal and put those who help them in a fix.
5The moment they receive it, they kiss the hand of the moneylender and humble themselves in deference to his wealth. But on the day repayment is due, they prolong the time, repay with reproaches and blame the current situation.
6If they can repay, they pay barely half and the moneylender will be grateful for that much. They have robbed him of his money and, moreover, he has gained enemies, for they repay him with curses and insults and reproaches instead of gratitude.
7Many a good person refuses to lend, not for any malicious reason: he is afraid of being cheated without cause.
8Nevertheless, be kind to those who have fallen on hard times, do not keep them waiting for your help.
9For the commandments’ sake, help the poor man; see his need and do not turn him away empty-handed.
10Better to spend your money on a brother or friend than to let it rust under a stone, to your discredit.
11Use your money according to the commandments of the Most High and you will find it more valuable than gold.
12Fill your barns with good deeds and these will rescue you from misfortune. 13They will fight for you against your enemy better than any strong shield and mighty spear.
14A good man goes surety for his neighbor; the scoundrel leaves him to his fate.
15Do not forget the favors of your guarantor: he has risked his life for you.
16The sinner wastes his guarantor’s money; the ungrateful man forgets the one who saved him. 17Acting as guarantor has ruined many a good man and has tossed him like the waves of the sea. 18It has banished powerful men and forced them to wander among foreign nations.
19The sinner is anxious to be a guarantor but he will be condemned as a loan shark.
20Help your neighbor as far as you can but beware of falling into the same plight.
21Some things you cannot live without: water, bread, clothes and a house for shelter.
22Better a poor man’s life in his wooden shack than lavish banquets in another man’s house.
23Be content with whatever you have, be it great or small; this is better than to go elsewhere and be reproached as an outsider.
24It is hard to go from house to house; 25when you are an outsider, do not risk opening your mouth. You will eat and drink without much welcome and, on top of that, hear bitter remarks: 26“Come, stranger, set the table and whatever you have, give it to me to eat.”
27“Be off, stranger, make room for somebody more important; my brother is coming to see me, I need the house.”
28It is hard for a good man to have hospitality denied him and to be treated like a debtor.
- Sir 29,1 {N}29,{/}2-6, this deals with those who ask for loans and do not pay back. Alms and, in a broader sense, all that we do for others without charge is the best assurance against misfortune. On this subject see Tobit 4:9 and Luke 16:9.
