From Proverbs:
Deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
If you have in some unthinkingly unselfish moment promised to be responsible for someone else’s debts, you must do whatever you can to get out of the trap you have set for yourself.
Beg, weep, and grovel if necessary. The wisdom teacher’s attitude towards the dangers involved in co-signing a loan is ruthlessly practical. This stubborn attitude stands in stark contrast to the views expressed in the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach, an apocryphal book that was never accepted into the Hebrew canon. Sirach, a Jewish sage of the 2nd century. B.C.E. acknowledges the problem lenders sometimes have in recovering their loans, but advises the faithful to go ahead, and lose your silver for the sake of a brother or a friend.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Those who are in their neighbors’ power are advised to get their eyes no sleep until they have disengaged themselves from their commitments.
The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
The borrower is the slave of the lender, and only someone without sense gives a pledge, and becomes surety (17:18).
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
Anyone stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger’s debts ought to have his own property held to guarantee payment. The identical saying is also in 27:13.
He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
The legal codes which are considered a part of Israel’s covenant with the L-rd contain numerous regulations concerning borrowing and lending (Deut. 24:10-13). Within the covenant community; Israelites were forbidden to exact interest on a loan (Deut. 23:19). Thus one of the Hezekian sayings warns those who augment their wealth by interest and increase that what they earn will be taken from them and given to those who are more charitable towards the poor.
What you have paid for YOU OWN
What you have charged, or making monthly payments – THEY OWN YOU.
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