In the name of the Lord God, who is called the God of Israel: Other ways to say this are “As a servant of the Lord God, whom we call the God of Israel [or, the God whom the Israelites worship]” and “To honor the Lord God, the God of Israel.” Translators will do well to follow Good News Translation in moving these lines to the end of the verse.

You gathered gold like tin and amassed silver like lead: While gold and silver are valuable metals, tin and lead are cheap and ordinary. These two lines are essentially synonymous, both meaning “you became fabulously rich.”

The verse could be translated:

• You became enormously rich, and gained your wealth as a servant of the Lord God, whom we call the God of Israel.

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.