And of theft, in the place where you live: Since verses 17-18 have spoken of people before whom you should be ashamed, Good News Translation renders in the place where you live as “Before your neighbors.” Possible alternative models for this line are “Be ashamed of stealing from your neighbors” and “When you steal from neighbors, you should be ashamed.”

From here to the end of verse 22 there is a list of things to be ashamed of, with no verb and no mention of particular people before whom you should stand in shame. Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation restate the verb Be ashamed at the beginning of the second line, but if a translator is following the form suggested above that will not be necessary—although it will not hurt.

Before the truth of God and his covenant: The Greek here is not consistent with its context. We recommend reading the Hebrew here, which Good News Translation renders “breaking a promise.” The Hebrew actually uses two nouns, which may be combined into one word such as “promise.”

Be ashamed of selfish behavior at meals is literally “and of bending the elbow over pieces of bread.” Revised Standard Version is making a guess at what this difficult line means. Good News Translation renders it “of leaning on the dinner table with your elbows” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). This too is little more than a guess, but it is odd indeed to mention a minor matter of table etiquette in a list of much more serious misdeeds, and this sounds like Good News Translation may have been influenced by modern codes of etiquette. Since what ben Sira had in mind is not really clear in either Greek or Hebrew, we think Revised Standard Version took the wiser course, and would suggest using it as a model. Compare 31.12-18.

Of surliness in receiving and giving: This refers to being ungracious or unpleasant when receiving a gift or when giving one. So we may say “of bad manners when giving or receiving a gift.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Be ashamed of stealing from neighbors.
Be ashamed of breaking promises, *
of selfish behavior at meals, **
and of bad manners when giving or receiving a gift.
* Hebrew breaking promises; Greek of yourself before God’s truth.
** The meaning of this line in not clear in Greek or Hebrew.

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.