As great as his mercy, so great is also his reproof: The adjective great is used to describe both the Lord’s mercy and his reproof (Good News Translation “punishment”). In English it is not common to speak of punishment being great, so Good News Translation uses a different adjective with each noun: “His punishment is as severe as his mercy is great.” If translators find it natural to use the same adjective with both nouns, there is no reason not to do so. The verse says that the Lord’s mercy and his punishment must be taken with equal seriousness. In some languages it will be more natural style to avoid nouns; for example, “He punishes people severely, but he can also be very merciful.”

He judges a man according to his deeds: What we do determines the Lord’s judgment, whether we will receive mercy or punishment. Good News Translation says it well, although we could say “He judges people by what they do.” This could be stated in the first person by saying “He judges us by what we do [or, have done]” or “He is either merciful to us, or he punishes us for what we have done.”

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.