If you allow your soul to take pleasure in base desire: Once again, the Greek word translated base desire is not necessarily negative, and does not have to be here. Good News Translation provides a good model. Other approaches for this line are “If you try to find happiness by indulging your every desire” and “If you allow yourself to enjoy everything you want” (Contemporary English Version).

It will make you the laughingstock of your enemies may be rendered “you will look like a fool, and your enemies will laugh” (Contemporary English Version). See the comments on 6.4.

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.