If a man is mean to himself, to whom will he be generous?: Mean renders the Greek word usually translated “evil,” and generous renders the word usually translated “good.” Good News Translation reverses the clauses here and rewords the question as “How can you be generous with others if you are stingy with yourself…?” This question is not meant to be answered, so it can be restructured as a statement by saying “You cannot be good to others if you do not treat yourself right” or “… if you do not use your money for your own enjoyment.”

He will not enjoy his own riches: Since Good News Translation reversed the order of clauses in the first line, it can easily attach this sentence to the preceding one. “If you are not willing to enjoy your own wealth” (Good News Translation) could be rendered “if you will not let yourself enjoy….”

Another way to combine the various elements in this verse is:

• What good are you to others if you are so stingy with yourself that you do not enjoy the wealth you have?

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.