Glory and dishonor come from speaking is literally “Glory and dishonor [lie/are] in speech.” We may express this as “Your words can bring you honor or disgrace” or “Your words can cause people to either give you honor or revile you.” Speech is where your reputation originates, whether for good or ill.

And a man’s tongue is his downfall: Your words can ruin you completely.

Good News Translation is good for this whole verse. An alternative model is:

• What you say can bring you either honor or disgrace; in fact, it can ruin you.

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.