《便西拉智训》13章——择友之慎

《便西拉智训》第13章警告不可与傲慢者和富人建立不对等的交往,并以“物以类聚”的原则作为择友根基,结尾以箴言论及富人与穷人如何被对待,以及显露于面容的心。

德训篇

第13章

  1. 1.关于交友的警告 谁若沾染了沥青,必然会被玷污,谁若与骄傲的人交往,也必然会变得像他一样。Caution Regarding Associates Whoever touches pitch will be defiled, and whoever associates with a proud man will become like him.
  2. 2.不要超过你能力的负担,也不要与比你强大和富有的人来往。泥壶怎么能与铁锅相比,泥壶一旦碰到铁锅,必然会破碎。Do not lift a weight beyond your strength, nor associate with a man mightier and richer than you. How can the clay pot associate with the iron kettle? The pot will strike against it, and will itself be broken.
  3. 3.有钱的人作恶,还要辱骂;穷人受冤,还要道歉。A rich man does wrong, and he even adds reproaches; a poor man suffers wrong, and he must add apologies.
  4. 4.有钱人会利用你如果你对他有用,但如果你需要帮助他会抛弃你。A rich man will exploit you if you can be of use to him, but if you are in need he will forsake you.
  5. 5.如果你拥有某样东西,他就会和你同住;他会耗尽你的资源,并且他不会在乎。If you own something, he will live with you; he will drain your resources and he will not care.
  6. 6.当他需要你的时候,他会欺骗你,他会对你微笑并给你希望。他会和蔼地对你说话,说:“你需要什么?”When he needs you he will deceive you, he will smile at you and give you hope. He will speak to you kindly and say, “What do you need?”
  7. 7.他会用他的食物让你感到羞耻,直到他三番五次地榨取你;最后他会嘲笑你。如果他以后再看到你,他会抛弃你,并对你摇头。He will shame you with his foods, until he has drained you two or three times; and finally he will deride you. Should he see you afterwards, he will forsake you, and shake his head at you.
  8. 8.要谨慎,不要被引入歧途,也不要在宴乐中蒙羞。Take care not to be led astray, and not to be humiliated in your feasting.
  9. 9.当有权势的人邀请你的时候,要谦虚一些,他就会更加频繁地邀请你。When a powerful man invites you, be reserved; and he will invite you the more often.
  10. 10.切勿过于逼近,以免遭到拒绝;也不要过于疏远,以免被遗忘。Do not push forward, lest you be repulsed; and do not remain at a distance, lest you be forgotten.
  11. 11.不要试图把他当作平等的人对待,也不要相信他那些花言巧语,因为他会通过很多话来考验你,而且当他微笑的时候,他实际上是在考察你。Do not try to treat him as an equal, nor trust his abundance of words; for he will test you through much talk, and while he smiles he will be examining you.
  12. 12.残忍的人不把话藏在心里,他不会犹豫伤害或监禁他人。Cruel is he who does not keep words to himself; he will not hesitate to injure or to imprison.
  13. 13.把话藏在心里,非常谨慎,因为你正带着自己的灭亡在行走。Keep words to yourself and be very watchful, for you are walking about with your own downfall.
  14. 15.每个生物都爱它的同类,每个人都爱他的邻居;Every creature loves its like, and every person his neighbor;
  15. 16.所有的活物都以类相聚,人也与同类相依附。all living beings associate by species, and a man clings to one like himself.
  16. 17.狼与羔羊有什么交往呢,恶人与义人也无所共处What fellowship has a wolf with a lamb? No more has a sinner with a godly man.
  17. 18.狮子和狗之间有什么和平可言呢?富人和穷人之间又有什么和平可言呢?What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? And what peace between a rich man and a poor man?
  18. 19.荒野中的野驴是狮子的猎物,同样穷人是富人的财产来源。Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions; likewise the poor are pastures for the rich.
  19. 20.谦逊在骄傲的人眼中是可憎的,同样穷人在富人眼中也是可憎的。Humility is an abomination to a proud man; likewise a poor man is an abomination to a rich one.
  20. 21.当富人踉跄时,有朋友扶持他,但当谦逊的人跌倒时,朋友反而推开他。When a rich man totters, he is steadied by friends, but when a humble man falls, he is even pushed away by friends.
  21. 22.如果一个富人失足,他有很多帮助他的人;他说出不雅的话,他们为他辩护。如果一个谦逊的人失足,他们甚至责备他;他说出明智的话,却没有人理会。If a rich man slips, his helpers are many; he speaks unseemly words, and they justify him. If a humble man slips, they even reproach him; he speaks sensibly, and receives no attention.
  22. 23.当富人说话时,所有人都默默无语,并将他所说的话赞扬到云霄。 当穷人说话时,他们说:“这个人是谁?” 如果他跌倒,他们甚至会把他推倒。When the rich man speaks all are silent, and they extol to the clouds what he says. When the poor man speaks they say, “Who is this fellow?” And should he stumble, they even push him down.
  23. 24.财富如果没有罪恶是好的,贫穷在不虔诚的人看来是邪恶的。Riches are good if they are free from sin, and poverty is evil in the opinion of the ungodly.
  24. 25.一个人的心灵会改变他的面容,不管是向善还是向恶。A man’s heart changes his countenance, either for good or for evil.
  25. 26.快乐的心灵的标志是欢乐的面容,但编造谚语需要痛苦的思考The mark of a happy heart is a cheerful face, but to devise proverbs requires painful thinking.

这段经文的意思

本章以第1节标题“择友之慎”起首。第1节提出原则:触摸沥青者必被沾染,与傲慢者相交者必变成与他一样。第2至7节以一对不对等的搭配将危险具体化——超过你力量的担子、与铁锅相撞反而自身破碎的土锅、在你有用时剥削你、在你困乏时抛弃你的富人——他耗用你的资财,以甜言哄骗,用筵席羞辱你,最终讥诮你、摇头而去。第8至13节转向此种处境中的行事之道:赴宴时不可被引入歧途或蒙羞,权贵相邀时不可放肆,也不可冒进或退缩,不可视他如平等之人,也不可轻信他滔滔的言语——应当谨言慎行,因为你是与自己的倾覆同行。

第15至20节陈述第二项原则:同类与同类相契。万物皆爱其同类,一切活物按其物种相聚,人也必依附与自己相似之辈。这些对比刻意显得冷峻:狼与羔羊、罪人与敬虔之人;鬣狗与狗、富人与穷人。旷野中的野驴是狮子的猎物,穷人同样沦为富人的牧场。谦卑为傲慢者所憎恶,穷人为富人所厌弃。

第21至26节观察人的实际行为。富人蹒跚时有朋友扶持相稳,卑微者跌倒时却被朋友推离。富人若失足,襄助者众,他不当的言语也能被曲意开脱;卑微者若失足,便遭申斥,他明智的话语也无人理会。富人开口,众人噤声,其言被捧至云霄;穷人开口,人便问“这是什么人”,他若绊跌,更被推倒。本章的判定接踵而来:财富若不沾罪恶便是好的,贫穷在不信者的眼中却是恶的。结尾以面容作为内在状态的外在标记——人心使其容颜向善或向恶,欢畅之心的标记是喜乐的面容,而构思箴言则需要苦心思索。

背景

所提供的文本是一系列连续的智慧箴言,而非叙述。它在第1节带有标题“择友之慎”,随后按节序展开三个段落:警告与傲慢者或富人相交(13:1–13)、同类相聚的原则(13:15–20)、以及关于富人与穷人如何被他人对待的观察,并以论心与面容的箴言作为收束(13:21–26)。

所提供的材料中有两点值得注意。第14节未见于所提供的经文中,故本章的经节编号直接从第13节跳至第15节。本章未提供任何交叉引用,也未附原文希腊文或希伯来文的词汇资料,故本节不对希腊文或希伯来文用语作任何判断,也不引用其他经文。随数据所附的章节注释仅说明此章为先前选篇之外《便西拉智训》所余篇章之一。

常见问题

《便西拉智训》13:2中土锅与铁锅之喻用意何在?

它描绘的是一种不对等的伙伴关系,并显示谁承担损害。第2节说:“不要举你力量所不及的重担,也不要与比你更强更有财的人相交。土锅怎能与铁锅相共?锅必撞击它,而锅自身反倒破碎。”较弱的一方是破碎的那一方。

《便西拉智训》13章是否谴责财富本身?

第24节给出本章自身的限定:“财富若不沾罪恶便是好的,贫穷在不信者的眼中却是恶的。”第1至13节的批评落点在傲慢者与剥削人的富人身上,第21至23节所不满的是那种为富人的不当之言开脱却忽视卑微者明智之言的双重标准——而非财富本身。

本章为何以谈论面容的箴言作为收束?

第25至26节将内在状态与外在表相相连:“人心使其容颜改变,或向善或向恶”,以及“欢畅之心的标记是喜乐的面容,而构思箴言则需苦心思索。”这组收束的句子将可见的面容与智慧言语的代价并置,令本章以可读与不可读于人之事作结。

继续研读

首页探索圣经AI 互动我的