Good News Translation joins verses 3 and 4 since it moves the second line of verse 4 (and made them forget what had happened) up so that it follows the first two lines of verse 3. We will follow this restructuring and recommend it.

For while they were still busy at mourning, and were lamenting at the graves of the dead: The connector For may be omitted. The verbs were still busy at mourning and were lamenting can be neatly combined into one phrase, as shown in the following model for these two lines and the second line of verse 4: “While they [or, those wicked people] were still mourning at the graves of their dead, they forgot what had already happened [to them].”

They reached another foolish decision: It is not clear what the previous foolish decision was. Some suggest it refers to Exo 14.3, but it may refer to killing the Hebrew baby boys, or even to the decision to enslave the Hebrews in the first place. Good News Translation ignores the whole idea of another, but it is there. Revised Standard Version is a good model for this line, but we could also say “They made another foolish decision.”

And pursued as fugitives those whom they had begged and compelled to depart: Here is another place where translators could insert the second line of verse 4 by saying “Forgetting everything that had happened, they decided that these people they had begged, and even forced to leave the country, were in fact running away. So they began chasing [or, pursuing] them.”

For the fate they deserved drew them on to this end may be rendered “All this happened so that they would suffer the fate [or, punishment] they deserved.” Again the connector For may be omitted.

In order that they might fill up the punishment which their torments still lacked may be rendered “and suffer every bit of the torment they had coming to them [or, were due to receive]” or even “so that you [God] would punish them in every way they deserved.”

An alternative model for these two verses is:

• While these people were still mourning at the graves of their dead, they made another foolish decision. They forgot everything that had happened, and decided that these people they had begged and even forced to leave the country, were in fact running away. So they started chasing them down [or, pursuing them]. All this happened so that they would suffer the fate [or, punishment] they deserved, and receive every bit of torment that they were due to receive.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.