Do not assert your righteousness before the Lord: Good News Translation has a good translation here, saying “Don’t try to convince the Lord that you are righteous.” Contemporary English Version is similar with “Don’t try to impress the Lord with your goodness,” or we may say “Don’t try to convince the Lord that you are a good person.” The Lord is the Righteous One. It would be ridiculous to try to convince the Lord of your goodness.

Nor display your wisdom before the king: Even though kings do not quite represent wisdom in exactly the same way that the Lord represents righteousness, the point is the same. Even if the king is not particularly wise, trying to convince him that you are might put you in a bad position. This is beneath the dignity of someone who is wise. Another possible model for this line is “Don’t try to make the king [or, high chief] think that you are a wise person.”

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.