A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles is literally “A hard heart is weighed down by troubles.” We could say “A stubborn person will have a heavy load of troubles” or “Those who are stubborn must carry a heavy load of troubles.” Translators who cannot use this figurative language may say “Those who are stubborn must undergo all kinds of troubles.”

And the sinner will heap sin upon sin: This line is intended to underscore the point of the previous line. The writer assumes his reader will agree that sinners commit one sin right after another (literally “and the sinner will place sin on top of sins”). It’s that way, he says, with stubborn, closed-minded people; they are loading themselves down with one trouble after another.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Just like the sinner who keeps adding sins to his pile of sins, a stubborn person is going to have a heavy load to carry—a load of troubles.

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.