A sensible daughter obtains her husband: This does not mean “Daughter, if you are sensible, you will go find a husband.” It means that sensible girls are the ones who succeed in getting married. It’s not a question of whether they have sense enough to want to get married. It’s a matter of whether they have enough sense that a man would want to marry them. This line may be rendered “It is the sensible girls who get married” or “If a daughter is sensible she will get a good husband” (Contemporary English Version).

But one who acts shamefully brings grief to her father: Shameless daughters (those who are undisciplined according to verse 3) cause their fathers heartache and suffering. A possible alternative model is “But a shameless [or, undisciplined] daughter only causes her father suffering [or, heartache].”

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.