Nevertheless, be patient with a man in humble circumstances: Instead of be patient, New American Bible and Luís Alonso Schökel translate “be generous.” We can get this from the Greek verb here, but it usually means patient. Good News Translation “be understanding” means “be patient, sympathetic,” but we may also express this as “don’t turn your back on.” Good News Translation shifts from singular to plural for a man; this is more natural in English. Possible renderings for this line are “Nevertheless [or, However], be generous and give to the poor” and “Nevertheless, do not turn your back on the poor, but give to them.”

And do not make him wait for your alms: The word alms focuses on the gift itself (see the comments on 3.30). Good News Translation shifts a little to speak of the attitude behind the gift: “generosity.” The word chosen here should not make the gift sound patronizing or condescending. Thus in English, “generosity” is better than “charity,” since “charity” emphasizes the more comfortable position of the giver; “generosity” describes a worthy attitude.

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.