Better is a man who works and has an abundance of everything, than one who goes about boasting, but lacks bread: One person works hard and earns a good living—a solid citizen. Another is always bragging, but somehow doesn’t have enough to eat—too lazy to work. This is an admonition to do your work, do it well, and do it without boasting. Don’t think you can make up for laziness by going around bragging. You won’t fool anybody. Contemporary English Version has a helpful model:

• It’s better to work
and have more than enough
than to boast and go hungry.

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.