This is an unusually difficult verse; translations go in many different directions. This is because there are several textual problems, there is an insoluble grammatical problem, there are puzzling interpretive problems, and they are all bound together. This discussion will not attempt to explore all the options. We will simply explain and recommend Good News Translation‘s interpretation, which the Handbook believes is reasonable and defensible.

A man may lose his life: Good News Translation translates “You can lose all your self-respect.” The meaning “self-respect” for the Greek word Revised Standard Version translates life can be justified.

Through shame: Good News Translation translates “by being reluctant,” understanding shame as “being hesitant or timid.” This is consistent with the way the word is used in the next verse.

Or lose it: For Good News Translation this phrase does not introduce a second way a person may lose his life, but it only explains the first line. This is consistent with patterns of synonymous parallelism in Hebrew.

Because of his foolish look: The Greek here is badly ambiguous. The phrase foolish look can be literally translated “foolish face” or “face [presence] of a fool.” The adjective foolish may be interpreted as a noun. It is clear that some scribes interpreted it that way since there are manuscripts where the two words are reversed. The meaning of “presence of a fool” is more obvious. Good News Translation understands the phrase this way, as do some other translations.

The phrase “to speak up” in Good News Translation is derived from the context only. How could we lose our sense of pride and self-respect through being timid in the presence of a foolish person? Only by failing to call attention to words and ideas that we consider foolish.

This approach to the verse anticipates the argument made in the next section. Good News Translation‘s interpretation is by no means the only approach that can be defended. To explain others would simply require too much space, and we are content to recommend this one. An alternative rendering that follows Good News Translation‘s interpretation is:

• You can lose all sense of pride if you are not bold enough to speak out when someone is talking foolishness.

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.