Ben Sira - chapter 13

13: 1 - 14: 2 (new section/separation begins at 14:3) - translated by Edgar Goodspeed
Whoever touches pitch will get his hands dirty, and whoever associates with a proud person will become like him.  Do not lift a load that is too heavy for you, and do not associate with one stronger or richer than you are.  What relation can an earthen pot have with a kettle?  The kettle knocks against it, and it is broken in pieces.  A rich person does wrong and he even adds a threat; a poor person suffers a wrong, and he must beg pardon.  If you can be useful to the rich, he makes you work for him, but if you are in want, he abandons you.  As long as you have anything, he will live with you, and will strip you bare, but he will feel not distress.  If he needs you, he will deceive you, and smile upon you, and raise your hopes.  He will speak you fair and say, "Is there anything you need?"  He will shame you with his delicacies, until he has impoverished you again and again, and finally he will mock you.  Afterward when he sees you he will pass you by, and shake his head at you.
Take care not to be misled, and humbled through your own folly/when enjoying yourself.  When a leading person invites you, be retiring, and he will invite you all the more.  Do not press upon him, or you may be pushed away; but do not stand too far off, or you may be forgotten.  Do not aim to speak to him as an equal, but do not believe all he says; for he will test you with much conversation, and will examine you with a smile.  Those who do not keep to themselves what is said in secret are unmerciful/cruel; they will not hesitate to hurt and to bind.  Keep such matters to yourself and take great care.  For you are walking with your own downfall.
Every creature loves its like, and every man loves his neighbor.  All living beings gather with their own kind, and a man associates with another like himself.  What companionship can a wolf have with a lamb?  Just as much as a sinner with a godly man.  What peace can there be between a hyena and a dog?  And what peace between a rich man and a poor one?  Wild asses are the prey of lions in the wilderness, just as the poor are pasture for the rich.  Humility is detestable to the proud, just as a poor man is detestable to a rich one.  When a rich man is shaken, he is steadied by his friends, but when a poor man falls down, his friends push him away.  When a rich man falls, there are many to help him; he tells secrets and they justify him.  If the humble person falls, the rich add reproaches.  He speaks with understanding, but no place is made for the poor man.  When a rich man speaks, everyone keeps silent, and they extol what he says to the clouds.  When a poor man speaks, they say, "Who is that?"  Should he stumble, they even will help to throw him down.  Wealth is good if it carries with it no sin, and poverty is called evil by the ungodly.  A man's disposition / heart affects his appearance, but for good and for evil.  A cheerful face is a sign of a happy heart, but it takes painstaking thought to compose proverbs!  How happy is the man who makes no slip with his mouth, and is not stabbed with sorrow for his sins!  Happy is the man who heart does not condemn him, and who has not given up hope.