The writer now turns his attention from God back to human beings. A new paragraph is called for (so Good News Translation).

What is man, and of what use is he?: Good News Translation effectively translates this line as two separate questions. These rhetorical questions can, of course, be translated as statements; for example, “Human beings are good for nothing and amount to nothing.” However, translating them as questions creates an effect of bewilderment and frustration, like that spoken of in verse 7. Contemporary English Version is helpful here with “As for us humans, what are we? Do we have any purpose?”

What is his good and what is his evil?: This line is cryptic. It is usually taken to refer to good and evil deeds (so Good News Translation). The problem with this is that it makes the writer seem to say that whether we do good or evil makes no difference. But ben Sira clearly believes no such thing. The line could mean “What is good and what is bad for him?” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “What is good for us and what is bad?” (Contemporary English Version). Or it could mean “What is good about us and what is wrong with us?” Or it could mean “What is the meaning of good and evil for us?” Taking this one step further, “good and evil” here could refer to “everything, totality,” using a figure of speech in which two extremes represent the whole. In this case ben Sira is asking “What meaning does anything have for us?” This fits in beautifully with the context, and we recommend it. It could be amplified by saying “What meaning does anything—good or bad—have for us?” These rhetorical questions may also be rendered as statements; for example, “What is good about us means nothing; what is bad about us means nothing.”

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.