A man will kiss another’s hands until he gets a loan: Kiss another’s hands is to behave in a manner showing willing subjection to another person, and doing it in a way that other people would find a bit disgusting. It is not something a person would ordinarily do. Good News Translation expresses this with the English idiom “bow and scrape.” This is the kind of thing that most languages will probably express most vividly with an idiom or colloquial expression. It is probably an example of hyperbole, or overstatement, since literally kissing a person’s hand would be too obvious an attempt to ingratiate oneself.

And will lower his voice in speaking of his neighbor’s money: Lower his voice is literally “make his voice humble.” Good News Translation renders this “speak politely,” which is only a slight shift of focus. The reference is to speaking in the same fawning manner in which the person acts in kissing someone’s hand. We could combine the first two lines of this verse as follows: “Some people will speak and act ever so humbly until they get the loan they are asking for.”

But at the time for repayment he will delay may be rendered “But when the time comes to pay the money back, they will ask for more time” or “… they will say ‘Please give me more time.’ ”

And will pay in words of unconcern: The lender gets paid, but only with words, words that show the debtor is not really too concerned about repaying. Good News Translation says “and make a lot of worthless excuses.”

And will find fault with the time: The debtor says things like “It’s just not a good time right now.” Good News Translation has “say that it’s inconvenient.”

The final three lines of this verse may be translated as follows:

• But when the time comes to pay the money back, they will say, “Please give me more time.” They will make all sorts of excuses and say, “It just isn’t a good time right now.”

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.