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A wise man is cautious in everything: Good News Translation restructures this line well with “If you are wise, you will be careful in everything you do.” Not only does Good News Translation restructure it into two clauses, but Good News Translation also recasts it into the second person (so also verse 29a).

And in days of sin he guards against wrongdoing: Good News Translation (also New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible) takes days of sin to refer to times when sin is everywhere. More likely it refers to occasions when the wise person is tempted to sin. The Greek word translated wrongdoing is really a musical term, meaning “hitting the wrong note.” Good News Translation inserts the word “especially” before “careful.” This is because it used the phrase “be careful” in the previous line; adding “especially” keeps it from sounding repetitious. Translators may want to note that, since is cautious and guards can easily be translated by the same word or phrase. For this line we suggest “At times when sin is tempting, be [especially] careful not to make a mistake” or “At times when you are tempted to sin….”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• A wise person is always alert; when temptation comes, he avoids committing sin.

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.