He exalted Aaron, the brother of Moses: At the beginning of this new section the reader should be reminded that the Lord is the subject of the verb. Here exalted means that the Lord gave Aaron a position of great importance. So we may translate “The Lord gave Aaron, the brother of Moses, a position of great importance.” The brother of Moses is literally “his brother,” which Revised Standard Version spells out for clarity. This is appropriate since a new section begins here.

A holy man like him, of the tribe of Levi: By him, Moses is meant. Good News Translation does well to combine parts of the two lines of this verse into “a holy man like his brother Moses.” The tribe of Levi was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, the tribe that supplied Israel with its priests.

Alternative models for this verse are:

• The Lord gave a position of great importance to Aaron, a holy [or, consecrated] man from the tribe of Levi, like his brother Moses.

• Aaron the brother of Moses was also a consecrated man [or, a man set apart for the Lord] from the tribe of Levi. The Lord gave him a position of great importance.

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.

May their bones revive from where they lie: New English Bible renders this better with “May their bones send forth new life from the ground where they lie!” The Greek verb rendered revive describes a plant that sends up new shoots. Ben Sira is not talking about the resurrection of the dead here. He wants leaders like the judges to arise once again, as becomes clear in the next lines.

And may the name of those who have been honored live again in their sons!: Good News Translation gives a good rendering here. Another approach is “May these honored dead live again in their descendants!”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• May the bones of these judges send forth new life from the ground where they lie [or, where they have been buried]! May these honored judges live again in their descendants!

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 sins became exceedingly many, so as to remove them from their land: The author is talking about the end of the northern kingdom of Israel, when the Assyrian army conquered them and took much of the population into exile. Good News Translation has “His people became so sinful that they were exiled from their land.” However, for languages that do not have the passive voice, we may say:

• Jeroboam’s people sinned so much that their enemies removed them [or, led them as prisoners] from their land.

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.

Who set fire to the chosen city of the sanctuary may be translated “These foreigners set fire to the city that the Lord had chosen for his Temple.”

And made her streets desolate, according to the word of Jeremiah: According to the word of Jeremiah is literally “at the hand of Jeremiah” (compare 48.20). Following Good News Translation, we could render these lines as “They left its streets deserted, just as Jeremiah had predicted.”

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.

And now bless the God of all: For bless see 39.14. God of all may be rendered “God of the universe” (Good News Translation) or “God who has created all things.” An alternative model for this line is “Now, then, let us praise the God who has created all things.”

Who in every way does great things: “Everywhere” (Good News Translation) and “everywhere on earth” (Contemporary English Version) are other ways of translating the Greek word rendered in every way. Compare Psa 136.4.

Who exalts our days from birth: The Handbook believes the translation in the Good News Translation footnote, “honors us,” is better than “brings us up,” which is in the text. Either rendering can be justified and translators may choose either. Another way to render this line is “He honors us from the time we are born.”

And deals with us according to his mercy: Contemporary English Version says “and shows mercy to us.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Now, then, let us praise the God who has created all things, who has done great things [or, miracles/wonders] everywhere. He honors us from the time we are born and shows mercy to 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.

Put your neck under the yoke, and let your souls receive instruction: Compare 6.30 and Matt 11.29. To take on a teacher’s yoke meant to learn from that person. Here ben Sira may mean “learn from me” or “learn from Wisdom” (in Hebrew it means the latter). These two lines are synonymous; the second line explains clearly what the figure of speech in the first line means. Good News Translation has used the figure, expecting that the reader will have it explained by the second line. Translators for whom the figure is difficult may combine the two lines by saying “Just be willing to learn.”

It is to be found close by: The idea here is that in any situation, there is an opportunity to learn something. New English Bible says “You need not go far to find it.” We could even go so far as to say “You can learn a lesson from everything.”

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 saw her and apportioned her: This line is identical with the second line of verse 9. It constitutes a textual problem, which affects the translation of the rest of the verse. Not all manuscripts contain this line, but if you include it, God is the subject of the verbs in the rest of the verse. If you omit it, Wisdom is the subject. The Handbook suggests that the translator follow Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible in omitting this line. A footnote would be appropriate to indicate that some manuscripts include this line.

He rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension: By rejecting the first line, we have made Wisdom the subject of the verbs in this verse, just as she has been in the preceding verses. So we recommend changing the masculine pronouns to feminine in this line and the next one (so Good News Translation). The last time the Lord was mentioned as acting was in verse 9. Knowledge and discerning comprehension are part of the wisdom writers’ vocabulary of synonyms for wisdom. The translator may draw from a similar stock in the receptor language. It is not possible or necessary to maintain fine distinctions in meaning among these words. Discerning comprehension actually translates two Greek nouns (literally “knowledge of understanding”), which can be combined into one noun, as Good News Translation and others have done. It would not be wrong for a translator to combine all three nouns into one if it did not create too short a line. The verb rained has been altered in Good News Translation to a comparison: “She sends … like the rain” (similarly Contemporary English Version with “like showers of rain”). Others keep the metaphor; for example, New English Bible reads “She showers down knowledge and ability.” The past tense of rained may legitimately be translated as a present tense. In languages where “wisdom” cannot be personified, we may say something like:

• When people learn the ways [or, truths] of God,
they will receive much knowledge and understanding like rain pouring down upon them.

And he exalted the glory of those who held her fast: Those who are determined to be wise, who are devoted to Wisdom, have good reputations—Wisdom sees to that. Glory here means “reputation.” The Greek verb translated held … fast means to grab and hang on tight, not letting go. The verb “receive” in Good News Translation is a weak choice of words. Once again, the past tense may be translated as present.

The two lines of this verse may be reversed in translation:

• She increases the honor given to those who are devoted to her;
she showers them with knowledge and insight.

For those translators who cannot personify Wisdom, the following is a possible model:

• Those who steadfastly seek to learn wisdom [or, the ways of God]
will receive much honor [or, face].

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.

Whoever honors his father will be gladdened by his own children: It is possible to understand this to mean that the person will be made glad by having children of his own, but much more likely it means his children will be a source of pride, satisfaction, and happiness. Good News Translation expresses this well: “If you respect your father, one day your own children will make you happy.” “One day” means “the time will come when.”

And when he prays he will be heard is literally “and on the day of his prayer he will be heard.” Good News Translation‘s translation, “the Lord will hear your prayers,” is a good model.

Honoring parents is a righteous act, and Pro 15.29 tell us that God hears the prayers of the righteous. So it is by honoring our parents that we find satisfaction within our own families (previous line) and earn favor with 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.