Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed: The Temple in Jerusalem was thought of as God’s residence on earth. To appear before the Lord was to be in the Temple. Ben Sira has just told us that keeping the commands in the Law is the equivalent of making the sacrifices described in the Law, but if we are going to appear in the Temple, we must bring a sacrifice. The next line tells why. Good News Translation‘s model may be expanded as follows:

• But don’t come to the Temple without bringing something to offer to the Lord.

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.