Sirach 13:17-26: a reflection

The sage observes, with a critical eye, how the world flatters the rich and despises the poor, a partiality God's people are not to share. When a rich man speaks, the sage says, all keep silence, and they extol what he says; but a poor man speaks, and they say, who is this? A rich man falls, and there are many helpers; a humble man falls, and men rebuke him. The sage observes the world's partiality: the rich are flattered, listened to, helped when they stumble; the poor are ignored, dismissed, pushed away even by their friends. The same words are praised from a rich man and scorned from a poor one. This is the world's way, but not the way God's people are to share. This shows the world's partiality toward the rich against the poor, which God's people are not to share. Do not flatter the rich and despise the poor, as the world does. God's people should not judge others by their wealth. The same person is valued or dismissed by the world according to riches. Value people not by their wealth, but as God does.

Notice the partiality the sage exposes. He observes, with a clear and critical eye, how the world treats rich and poor differently: when a rich man speaks, people fall silent and praise his words; when a poor man says the same, they dismiss him, asking who he is. When a rich man stumbles, many rush to help him; when a humble man falls, he is rebuked and pushed away, even by his friends. The world flatters and defers to the rich, while ignoring, dismissing, and despising the poor, judging people not by what is true or right, but by their wealth. The sage names this partiality plainly, and in naming it, exposes it as a distortion. This holds a warning for us. The world's way is to value people according to their wealth: to flatter the rich, defer to them, listen to them, help them; and to dismiss the poor, ignore them, push them away. But this partiality is not the way God's people are to share. God does not judge people by their wealth, and neither should we. The same person's worth does not change with his riches; and to flatter the rich while despising the poor is a distortion we are called to reject. We are to value people not by their wealth, but as God does, without the partiality that fawns on the rich and scorns the poor. We do well to reject the world's partiality, valuing people not by their wealth but as God values them. Do not flatter the rich and despise the poor, as the world does. God does not judge by wealth, and neither should you. A person's worth does not change with his riches. Value people as God does, without partiality toward the wealthy.

That is worth taking to heart, for the world flatters the rich and despises the poor, a partiality God's people are not to share, and we do well to value people not by their wealth but as God does, as the sage exposed. The world fawns on the rich and dismisses the poor, judging by wealth; but this partiality is a distortion God's people are to reject. Do not judge by wealth. Do not flatter the rich and despise the poor, as the world does; value people not by their riches but as God values them, without partiality. Reject the world's partiality that flatters the rich and despises the poor, valuing people not by their wealth but as God values them, as the sage observed with a critical eye how the world flatters the rich and despises the poor, a partiality God's people are not to share, noting that when a rich man speaks all keep silence and extol his words but when a poor man speaks they ask who is this, and that a rich man who falls has many helpers while a humble man who falls is rebuked; for the sage observes the world's partiality, that the rich are flattered, listened to, and helped when they stumble while the poor are ignored, dismissed, and pushed away even by their friends, the same words praised from a rich man and scorned from a poor one, which is the world's way but not the way God's people are to share, and holds a warning for us, since the world's way is to value people according to their wealth, flattering and deferring to the rich while dismissing and despising the poor and judging people not by what is true or right but by their wealth, but this partiality is not the way God's people are to share, since God does not judge people by their wealth and neither should we, the same person's worth not changing with his riches, so that to flatter the rich while despising the poor is a distortion we are called to reject, valuing people not by their wealth but as God does, and we do well to reject the world's partiality.