אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן עַל רֵעֲךָ אִם לֹא בְּחַנְתּוֹ בְּעֵת צָרָה

ביטוי (אנגלית)

Do not lean on your friend if you have not tested him at a time of distress.

הגדרה (אנגלית)

A person should not put his trust in his friend before checking his loyalty in challenging times.

(Associate with everyone, but in one of a thousand do not trust. Do not lean on your friend if you have not tested him at a time of distress (Translation by Yitzhak Ze'ekil Frankel). Another version: Let the men of your peace be many, and the confidant of your secret one in a thousand. You have acquired a lover—test him, and do not hasten to trust him (Ben Sira 6:6-7).)