Allow no outlet to water: Water is necessary to life, but it is useless if it leaks from its container. A person must make sure it does not. Good News Translation speaks of a “cistern,” which is a large container to catch and keep rainwater, but this is not required by the Greek. An alternative model for this line is “You don’t let water leak from your water jars [or, where you store it].”

And no boldness of speech in an evil wife: A husband should not allow his wife to say anything she likes. Good News Translation “Don’t let a bad wife have her way” is too broad; the reference here is specifically to speech. A better rendering for the whole verse is:

• A man cannot let a bad wife say anything she likes, any more than he can afford to let water leak from his cistern [or, water container].

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.