The branches will be broken off before they come to maturity: Good News Translation is good here with “Their branches snap off before they mature.”

And their fruit will be useless, not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing: Good News Translation “their fruit never ripens, and it is good for nothing” combines useless and good for nothing.

The translator’s problem with verses 3-5 is how to render the sustained metaphor of the tree while keeping the reader aware of its symbolism. The suggestions given above would look like this when put together:

• Unreligious people [or, People who do not worship God] may have many children, but it will do them no good. If they were trees, none of their seedlings would ever develop deep roots, because they are illegitimate. They might grow big enough to put out branches, but since they have shallow roots, the wind threatens [or, is a danger to] them, and storms will uproot them. The branches will snap off before they mature; their fruit never ripens, and is good for nothing.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.