Health and soundness are better than all gold, and a robust body than countless riches: Soundness refers to a sound body; Good News Translation translates Health and soundness as “A sound, healthy body.” For a robust body, Good News Translation reads the Hebrew, which is “a cheerful attitude.” Only the noun here is in question. (The adjective here means “strong” when applied to a body, but “cheerful” when describing an attitude, or “spirit.”) All the Greek manuscripts and the versions read body, but the Hebrew reads “spirit.” “Spirit” certainly fits the context here; along with verse 16, which repeats the meaning of this verse, it establishes that the author is speaking not only of physical health, but of a healthy attitude (mind) as well. It is conceivable that an early scribe working from Greek mistook the word for “spirit,” in its usual abbreviated form, for the word for “body.” The case for the Hebrew reading is strong enough so that Ziegler makes the rare move of putting it in his Greek text. It is adopted by New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Luís Alonso Schökel, as well as Good News Translation, and this Handbook suggests that translators follow it.

The Handbook also likes the way Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have reordered the verse. Good News Translation has a useful model, including its textual footnote. Contemporary English Version‘s model will be helpful for those translating into poetry:

• To have your health
and a good attitude *
is better than gold
and infinite riches.
* 30.15 good attitude: Hebrew; Greek “strong body.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.