Hear me, you who are great among the people, and you leaders of the congregation, hearken: It is impossible to say whether the author is talking about secular leaders, religious leaders, or both. The Hebrew of the first line reads “Hear me, you princes of a great people”; he surely had the Jewish people in mind. In Egypt, where Ben Sira’s grandson was translating this book into Greek, Jewish leaders would have been religious leaders. The Greek word rendered congregation here refers to a Jewish gathering, but “community” may be a good choice of words in this context (see the comments on the same word rendered “assembly” in 15.5). We could combine these lines in some such way as this:

• Listen now to what I have to say, any of you who have power and influence in the [or, your] community!

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.