Do not disdain a man when he is old: To disdain is to look on someone with scorn or contempt, with the implication that you are superior. Good alternative models here are “Never think less of someone because he is old” (Good News Translation) and “Do not look down on [or, show contempt toward] people because they are old.” These renderings appropriately warn against feeling superior because of one’s youth. The translator should beware of making this line refer to only old men. The language here includes any old person, male or female.

For some of us are growing old: We are not to scorn people who have reached old age, because some of us are growing old. The writer says this, no doubt, with a sly twinkle in his eye. Obviously, all of us are growing older. The addition of “too” in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version (“as well” in New English Bible) helps make this point, but this word is also in the Greek. New Revised Standard Version says “for some of us are also growing old.”

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 wise magistrate will educate his people: Ben Sira believes that a wise magistrate will try to make his people wise, by educating them, teaching them, rather than keeping them ignorant. This is a rather remarkable statement for an ancient writer. The Greek word rendered magistrate is literally “judge,” but this clearly translates the Hebrew term for a person who exercised leadership (for example, the judges in the book of Judges), who governed, but had no particular judicial function. The translator will have to find a general term for a person with some civic authority. Good News Translation chooses “ruler,” which is as good a word as any.

And the rule of an understanding man will be well ordered: The understanding man in this line is the same person as the wise magistrate of the first line, and Good News Translation here simply refers back to the “wise ruler” by a pronoun, saying “and his government will be orderly.” A wise ruler will conduct his rule in an orderly manner. He will act consistently and dependably and his people will know what to expect. Another possible rendering is “He will govern [or, rule] in an orderly way.”

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.

Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions may be rendered “Lions hunt down and eat the wild donkeys that live in the open country.” Some translators may need to refer to Wild asses as “wild horses.” The focus here is on the lions as predatory meat eaters rather than the identity of their prey. Wilderness is open, relatively uninhabited country—not “Desert” (Contemporary English Version), which normally is understood to be a region of mostly sand.

Likewise the poor are pastures for the rich: The author has a problem with his imagery here. Donkeys (the poor) use pastures, not lions (the rich). The author intends to say “likewise the poor are like pastures full of prey for the lions.” New Revised Standard Version offers a better translation: “likewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.” If any reader has missed the point that ben Sira has been making in the last two verses, it is made clear here.

Good News Translation‘s combination of these two lines into one statement works well, although Good News Translation, by speaking only of the rich (the lions) “hunting down” the poor (the donkeys), misses the other element here in the idea of “prey,” that the lions kill the donkeys. Of course, rich people may not actually kill the poor and certainly do not eat them. But they may indeed live off them, and that’s the point. Perhaps the point could be made a bit clearer by saying:

• Rich people live off the poor just like lions live off the wild donkeys that they hunt down in the open country and eat.

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.

He will pitch his tent near her, and will lodge in an excellent lodging place: The first line of this verse is almost synonymous with the last line of verse 24, and Good News Translation has combined the two lines as part of verse 24. This can be done, and in our restructuring would read:

• They camp as close to her house as they can get,
and they have there a fine place to live.

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.

Even if there is only one stiff-necked person, it will be a wonder if he remains unpunished: Good News Translation rightly understands this verse to be a contrast with the 600,000 people of the previous verse, and adjusts the tenses of the verbs to reflect that. Stiff-necked means “stubborn” (Good News Translation). As a rendering for wonder, Good News Translation can use the word “miracle” because that word is often used in English in this idiomatic way. This could cause confusion in other languages. It may be better for translators to say “it would have been astounding if he had escaped punishment” or “I [ben Sira] would be surprised if he did not punish that one” (Contemporary English Version).

For mercy and wrath are with the Lord: This means that mercy and anger belong to the Lord; they are his, to deal out as he wishes. Good News Translation restructures this line, but does so in such a way that the Lord is not described as permanently angry: “The Lord is merciful, but he can also become angry.” We could also say “The Lord can be merciful, but he can also show anger.” The Revised Standard Version footnote here is a technicality that may be ignored.

He is mighty to forgive, and he pours out wrath: Good News Translation combines the ideas in he is mighty and he pours out into “He can be overwhelming.” Revised English Bible restructures this line, saying “he shows his power now in forgiveness, now in overflowing anger.” This suggests a model, following on the suggestion for the previous line: “He can show his power by forgiving sin, but also by furious anger.”

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.

Their iniquities are not hidden from him: Compare verse 15b.

And all their sins are before the Lord: Compare verse 15a.

In languages that do not have the passive voice, the following renderings are possible models for this verse:

• They [or, We] cannot hide their [or, our] sins from the Lord; he can see all the evil things they [or, we] do.

• Whenever we sin, we cannot stop the Lord from seeing what we do. He always sees our sins.

Some manuscripts add verse 21. It should be included in a footnote at the end of verse 20 (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation).

But the Lord, who is gracious and knows his creatures, has neither left nor abandoned them, but spared them: Good News Translation translates the relative clause who is gracious and knows his creatures as an independent clause, and interprets the rest of this sentence as a result clause introduced by “so.” It also combines the two synonymous verbs, left and abandoned, into one. Another possible model for verse 21 is:

• But the Lord is merciful and knows what we are like; so he never deserts [or, abandons] us, but spares us.

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.