If they make you master of the feast, do not exalt yourself: When a banquet was held in ben Sira’s times, it was the custom for one man to be chosen to preside. He would direct the servants, see that things were managed in good order, and keep the conversation enjoyable. See 2 Macc 2.27; John 2.8. Master of the feast translates a Greek term for this person. The closest English equivalent is probably “master of ceremonies,” but this implies a formal occasion with a program being presented, where speakers need to be introduced. Good News Translation expresses the idea as a verb, saying “to preside at a banquet” (Contemporary English Version “in charge of a dinner party”). In the absence of a comparable term in a translator’s local culture, this is probably as good an approach as he is likely to find. Good News Translation “don’t put on airs” is an English idiom for do not exalt yourself, as is New Jerusalem Bible “Do not let it go to your head.” It means “do not pretend to be greater or more important than you really are,” so Contemporary English Version says “don’t try to act important.”

Be among them as one of them: Them refers to the guests at the banquet. Good News Translation “Just be like everyone else” is a good model for this line.

Take good care of them and then be seated: The good host will welcome his guests, see to their needs, and show them to their places before he himself takes his seat for the meal. An alternative model here is “Before you sit down, make sure that all the guests have what they need.”

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.