In order that my mistakes may not be multiplied: My mistakes are the “errors of ignorance” of the last verse.

And my sins may not abound: This repeats the thought of the first line with a slightly different emphasis.

We may reverse the order of the first two lines of this verse; for example, Good News Translation has “Then I would not keep on sinning, making one mistake after another,” and Contemporary English Version says “Otherwise, I will sin more often and make more mistakes.” Translators may wish to consider this strategy for verses 2-3a: (1) reversing the first and second lines of verse 2, (2) combining the third and fourth lines of verse 2 into one line, and (3) connecting the resulting line with verse 3a. The following model does this:

• I wish someone could discipline me and force me into being wise; I wish someone could whip me when my thinking is wrong. If someone could punish me when I make ignorant, sinful errors, I would not keep on sinning, making one stupid mistake after another.

Then I will not fall before my adversaries, and my enemy will not rejoice over me: These two lines are synonymous. Adding the connector “Then” to the beginning of Good News Translation‘s translation here yields a good model: “Then I could not fall to my enemies and be humiliated by them.” Another possibility is “Then my enemies will not defeat me and celebrate.”

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.