Once again Good News Translation reverses the lines in this verse. It also casts this verse and the next two verses in the second person even though the Greek uses third person in these verses. Good News Translation‘s use of the second person here is helpful since the Greek has second person in verses 2 and 6-7.

Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord?: This question expects no answer. What it implies is expressed as a statement in Good News Translation. Good News Translation‘s statement could easily be expressed as a question: “How can you expect…?” To harbor anger is to “hold a grudge” (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), to keep one’s anger hot and alive at another person. Harbor anger may also be expressed as “stay angry.” Good News Translation correctly interprets healing as mercy and forgiveness. We may follow Good News Translation‘s model for this verse or use the following conditional sentence that is similar to Contemporary English Version:

• But don’t expect the Lord to forgive you
if you stay angry with someone.

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.