Kindness is like a garden of blessings, and almsgiving endures for ever: The Greek phrase like a garden of blessings is very much like the last half of verse 27a, where the grammar is clearer. Here we recommend following Good News Translation and the Hebrew, which New American Bible translates literally as “But goodness will never be cut off, and justice endures forever.” The image of cutting off fits in with the picture of the reeds being uprooted in verse 16. This verse should be rendered in such a way that the connection with verse 16 is clear, as well as the connection with verse 12. A suggested model based on the Hebrew, which we prefer, is:

• So too, acts of kindness and charity will always stay in place; they produce effects that remain forever.

A footnote translating the Greek may use the Good News Translation footnote as a model. For almsgiving see 3.30. Another possible model following the Greek is:

• So too, those who show kindness and give to the poor are like a garden that blooms forever, with blessing after blessing.

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.