We are considered by him as something base: The noun translated something base refers to a metal that is used as an alloy with a more expensive metal to cheapen it. It thus can describe anything that is impure, less than real. Several translations say “counterfeit.” A suitable translation might be “They think we are not good enough” or even “They consider us refuse [things that they throw away].”

And he avoids our ways as unclean: Although ways is often used figuratively (as Good News Translation has understood it), it is more likely to be literal here, meaning that the righteous go out of their way to avoid contact with those who do not live by the Law, since they are unclean. Winston translates “avoids us like filth.” New English Bible smoothly (and legitimately) incorporates both understandings: “avoids us and our ways as if we were filth.” Perhaps we could say “They think we are not good enough and avoid being around us, because they think we would contaminate them.”

He calls the last end of the righteous happy is literally “he blesses the end of the righteous.” The last end here almost certainly refers to death; compare Sir 1.13; 7.36. (We believe Good News Translation misinterprets the line since verse 20 makes it clear that the last end refers to death.) Here is what is happening: The ungodly are conspiring against those righteous people they hate so much. They are thinking, “Those good folks think that if they live right they will die happy, because God will protect his children. But we’ll see about that! We’ll bring them to a miserable end and see how happy they are then!” Here we could translate “They think that if they live right [or, according to the Law] they will die happy.”

And boasts that God is his father: Good News Translation reverses the order of the last two lines of this verse, to good effect. Translators could say “They boast that God is their father, and think that if they live right [or, according to the Law] they will die happy.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• They consider us trash [or, garbage]. They think we are not good enough and avoid being around us, because they think we would contaminate them. They boast that God is their father, and think that if they live right [or, according to the Law of Moses] they will be happy.

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.