Rich experience is the crown of the aged: To speak of a person’s crown is to speak of that which gives the person dignity and nobility, and does so in an attractive manner. Rich experience (Good News Translation “long experience”) dignifies the elderly; it is a good thing, and no one but the elderly have lived long enough to have it. Good News Translation preserves the metaphor of the crown. However, for this line we may also say “The long experience of elderly people is like a crown.”

And their boast is the fear of the Lord: This means that the fear or reverence of the Lord is the legitimate boast of the elderly (obviously, some old people are not religious). As Good News Translation puts it, “and they can boast of nothing finer than their fear of the Lord.” The fear of the Lord refers to reverence for the Lord and obedience to him.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• The long experience of elderly people is like a crown, and people like this can boast that they have reverence for the Lord.

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.

A wife’s charm delights her husband: Instead of A wife’s charm, New Jerusalem Bible has “The grace of a wife,” which is better expressed as “A gracious wife,” as in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New American Bible. Translators may choose between “A charming wife” or “A gracious wife” and alternatively translate the whole line as “A gracious [or, charming] wife pleases [or, delights] her husband.”

And her skill puts fat on his bones: Compare Pro 15.30b, where the Hebrew says literally “and good news fattens the bones.” In ancient Israel fatness was thought of as a good condition; it showed that one was wealthy enough to be well-fed and never hungry. It was a sign of God’s favor; compare Deut 31.20; Neh 9.25. The point here is that this wife’s knowledge and ability in managing a household (especially her cooking) contribute to her husband’s general well-being, not just to his size. The alternate translation in the Good News Translation footnote may be ignored. Good News Translation does not show that it is primarily the wife’s cooking ability that fattens her husband. Contemporary English Version shows this with “and her cooking skills keep him fat.”

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.

Good News Translation puts this whole verse in the second person, which may be helpful in other languages.

Whoever betrays secrets destroys confidence: Good News Translation takes two long clauses to express this line, but it may be necessary. Secrets are particular items that someone has told you in confidence. Confidence is the trust, or faith, that the person put in you by sharing the secrets. By sharing the secrets he opens himself to being hurt if you should reveal them. An alternative model for this line is “If you repeat secrets that friends have told you, you will destroy the confidence that they have in you” or “… they will never trust you again.”

And he will never find a congenial friend: A congenial friend is literally “a friend to his soul.” Good News Translation uses an English idiom, saying “a close friend.”

Contemporary English Version provides a helpful model for this verse by restructuring it as follows:

• Your friends won’t trust you
or like you anymore
if you can’t keep a secret.

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.

Many have fallen by the edge of the sword, but not so many as have fallen because of the tongue: Here fallen refers to dying. The edge of the sword is a Hebrew idiom; it simply refers to the sword as the instrument of killing in warfare. Good News Translation has a good translation for this verse, but “loose talk” (the tongue) is better rendered “vicious talk,” which is in view through verse 23.

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.

Give place, stranger, to an honored person: There is a nice effect in Greek here that may be impossible to translate precisely, but a translator can try to create the effect. Give place translates a Greek word that is the exact opposite of the word rendered “Come here” in verse 26. This gives the effect of having the poor man being ordered about here and there: Do this! Do that! Good News Translation does well with “Go away, stranger!” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). To an honored person is literally “from the face of honor.” In a number of languages this will be rendered as “for a person with much face.” Good News Translation‘s rendering here is good since it reflects impatience: “I’ve got an important guest!” New English Bible spells it out with “Make way for a more important guest.”

My brother has come to stay with me: Probably brother here refers to the host’s actual brother; it certainly works well as a translation. Good News Translation “is coming to visit” is a natural English idiom.

I need my house: Actually, the Greek just says “need of house,” with “need” as a noun. It sounds abrupt and rude, like it would sound in English to leave off the subject: “[I] need the house!” We could even say “No room for you!”

The series of rude commands or remarks in verses 26-27 are not a continuous discourse. The author is simply giving examples of the rude remarks a freeloader is going to have to endure. Each line in these verses is a separate example. The translator may wish to try inserting “or” at the end of verses 26a, 26b, and 27a. It may look clumsy in print, but it may actually help the reader, and will almost certainly help the hearer. However, to show that the remarks in this verse are from the host, we may restructure it as follows:

• Or that the host will say, “Go away, stranger! I need the room for a more important guest. My brother is coming to visit, so there is no room for 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.