This verse consists of six lines.

Do not talk much with a foolish man, and do not visit an unintelligent man: Good News Translation combines these two lines, saying “Don’t visit stupid people or spend a lot of time talking with them.” Contemporary English Version also combines them as follows: “stay away from stupid people and do not talk to them.” Foolish man and unintelligent man are combined into “stupid people” in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version. These two versions also reverse the order of these two lines since it is more natural to speak of visiting and then talking, than the other way around.

Guard yourself from him to escape trouble: If you want to avoid trouble, you have to avoid foolish people. It is possible to place this line before the first two lines as follows: “If you want to avoid lots of problems, stay away from stupid people and do not talk with them.”

And you will not be soiled when he shakes himself off: The image here is of a person so dirty that if he gives himself a good shake some of the dirt will come off and get on anyone standing nearby. The Greek word translated shakes … off is rare, and the whole line may be translated as New Jerusalem Bible has done with “and be soiled by contact with him.” This is an easier picture. Good News Translation “then they can’t contaminate you” is a helpful model.

Avoid him and you will find rest, and you will never be wearied by his madness: Madness is better translated “lack of sense” (New Revised Standard Version). The thought in these two lines is much the same as in the third line; if you want peace, you have to avoid foolish people. An alternative model for these two lines is “Then they cannot wear you down with their stupidity [or, lack of sense] and you can live in peace.”

Good News Translation has restructured the last four lines of this verse, as shown in the following comparison with Revised Standard Version:

guard yourself from him — Avoid them
to escape trouble — without being troubled
and you will not be soiled — then they can’t contaminate you
when he shakes himself off
avoid him — (Avoid them)
and you will find rest — and you can live in peace
and you will never be wearied — or worn down
by his madness — by their foolishness

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.

His fear is confined to the eyes of men is literally “And eyes of men [are] his fear.” This means that the man is not concerned about God seeing his adultery; he just doesn’t want some person to catch him at it. It is not that he is “afraid of other people” (Good News Translation), but afraid that other people will see him. So Contemporary English Version is helpful here with “People like that are only afraid of being seen by others.” There is a contrast in this verse between the eyes of men and the eyes of the Lord in the next line. It would be good in translation to keep this contrast by using the word eyes in both lines. This proves difficult in natural English, and Good News Translation does not try. There may be a way to do so; see the model in the next paragraph.

And he does not realize that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun: The connector “but” is more appropriate than and. What the writer means here is clear, although his comparison is not precise. Eyes are not bright in the sense that the sun is bright; eyes do not give off light. The intent of the author is so obvious that there may be no problem, and Good News Translation is not worried about it. Solving the problem may involve being a bit wordy, but we may be able to make the connection with eyes of men in the first line by rendering the first three lines of this verse as follows: “He is only afraid that some person will see him, but he doesn’t realize the Lord can see things that the light of 10,000 [or, a great number of] suns could not reveal.”

They look upon all the ways of men, and perceive even the hidden places: For they look upon all the ways of men, New English Bible has “observing every step men take.” Good News Translation is good with “he sees everything we do.” Another approach to these last two lines of the verse is “The Lord sees [or, knows] every step we take; he can see into the darkest places.”

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.

It makes instruction shine forth like light, like the Gihon at the time of vintage: Obviously light does not fit well in a series of names of rivers. It is easy to see what has gone wrong here. Ben Sira wrote the Hebrew word for “Nile,” which could easily be mistaken for the Hebrew word for “light.” This is verified by the Syriac version. Virtually all recent translations make the change that Good News Translation has made, and we strongly urge it. There is more to this textual problem. First, the Hebrew word in question is a general term for a river, stream, or channel, not actually the name of the Nile River, although it is used in the Bible most often for the Nile. Second, the Gihon River is identified with the Nile in the Greek version of Jer 2.18. The two lines of this verse may refer to the same river. This opens up several options: (1) We may mention both rivers (Good News Translation and others). (2) We may mention both rivers but try to make them sound identical (“like the Nile, the Gihon River”). (3) We may mention only the Nile since the Gihon is less well known. (4) We may mention only the Gihon since the Hebrew of the first line said only “river.” If the Gihon and Nile are identical, option (1) is misleading. Option (2) is fine, if you can do it. Option (3) has to be ruled out. The author is talking about the rivers of Eden here, and the Gihon is named in Gen 2.13. Option (4) is attractive. Some possible models will be suggested below. The Greek word rendered shine forth is a strange word to find in this context; it may have come into the Greek after the mistaken reference to light had found its way into the text. But it is there. Rivers do not radiate light; they reflect it. Good News Translation therefore says “sparkles.” You can see a river breaking up the reflected sunlight into sparkling rays as it ripples along. Instruction or “insight” may be better than Good News Translation “teachings,” however. The Law of Moses is certainly full of teachings. Ben Sira is saying something more—it is full of wisdom, of good sense, of insight. The time of vintage refers to “grape-picking time” (Good News Translation), which was in the autumn. While the Tigris, Euphrates, and Jordan did their overflowing in the spring, the Nile flooded in autumn.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• It sparkles with insight, like the Gihon River during the autumn grape harvest.

• It sparkles with insight, like the Gihon River, the Nile, during the autumn grape harvest.

If the second model would be clear to the reader, it is better than the first one. But if the reader will not realize that the same river has two names, a translator should stay with the first model. A footnote is necessary in either case. For the first model above, here is a possible note: One ancient version: like the … River; Greek: like the light. For the second model, this is a possible note: One ancient version: like … the Nile; Greek: like the light.

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.

If she does not go as you direct is literally “If she does not go according to your hands.” Since we ordinarily direct people by telling them what to do, Good News Translation words this line well with “If she won’t do as you tell her.”

Separate her from yourself is literally “cut her away from your flesh” (see Gen 2.24). This appears to be forceful language, but no reference is made to the legal language of “divorce” (Good News Translation). Perhaps we could say “get her out of your life.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• If she will not obey you, get her out of your life [or, send her away].

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.

If a man is not steadfast and zealous in the fear of the Lord: If this line is understood in this way, it has no relation to its context. But is … steadfast and zealous translates a Greek verb that can mean “possess, be master of.” It can mean “hold to,” so New Jerusalem Bible translates this line as “Whoever does not firmly hold to the fear of the Lord.” However, when it means this, the grammatical construction used is different from what we have here. We suggest that this line means “If a person does not possess what he has in [a way consistent with] devotion to the Lord.” This fits the context. This can be cast in the second person (compare Good News Translation) as follows: “If you obtain your wealth in a way that does not honor the Lord.”

His house will be quickly overthrown is literally “his house will be quickly, quickly overthrown.” The Greek is emphatic (Shekan “with sudden swiftness his house will be thrown down”). Good News Translation shifts from an emphasis on speed to an emphasis on certainty. “Your house is going to come down on you” makes that point in idiomatic English, remarkably close to a literal translation. An even better rendering is “your house is going to come crashing down on your head.” We could keep the emphasis on speed and render the whole verse as follows:

• If you obtain your wealth in a way that does not honor the Lord, you are soon going to lose everything you have.

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.

If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, who will make expiation for his sins?: Here is another rhetorical question that Good News Translation renders as a statement. Good News Translation translates being flesh as “you are only a human being.” That is good, although translators should consider whether it might fit better at the beginning of the verse. The verb make expiation is usually used in the Old Testament of priests acting on behalf of the people. For the second line of this verse, New Revised Standard Version translates “who will make an atoning sacrifice for his sins.” But, more simply, it could be rendered “who is there to forgive his sins.” Good News Translation says “you have no hope of forgiveness,” which is also good. An alternative model for the whole verse is:

• You are only a human being. If you are not willing to let go of your anger [or, stop being angry], you have no one to forgive your sins.

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.

More than a mighty shield and more than a heavy spear, it will fight on your behalf against your enemy: Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version reverse these lines; most translators will find this easier. It is difficult to speak of shields and spears fighting, much less almsgiving. Good News Translation therefore expresses this in terms that do not require these objects to act: “and [almsgiving] will be a better defense against your enemies than the strongest shield or the stoutest spear.” Contemporary English Version has “and they [gifts to the poor] give better protection than the strongest shields and spears.” We could say (following either model in verse 12) “It will be a better protection against your enemies than….” The shield should be described by an adjective appropriate to its function; New Revised Standard Version “stout” and New Jerusalem Bible “sturdy” are good choices. There is a slight textual problem involving the Greek adjective translated heavy, but describing the spear by a word such as “strong,” “stout,” or “sturdy” will avoid the problem. It would be possible to let one adjective serve for both nouns; for example, “the strongest shield and spear.” In cultures where shields and spears are unknown, translators may say “the strongest weapons of war [or, fighting weapons].”

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.

Of what use to an idol is an offering of fruit? For it can neither eat nor smell: The question here is rhetorical with the expected answer being “No use.” An idol is a man-made object, usually in the likeness of a person, which is worshiped as a god. The Greek word translated offering of fruit probably is intended here to mean an offering of any kind of food. Good News Translation introduces this verse with the connector “But.” This will not work if “an idol” is not referred to in verse 18. The problem is to keep this verse from sounding out of place. We suggest an approach such as this:

• … it might as well be placed on a grave. It is as useless as food offered to an idol—a thing that can’t eat it or smell it.

In languages that do not have a passive voice, we may translate:

• … they might as well have placed it on a grave. It is as useless as food that they have offered to an idol—a thing that can’t eat it or smell it.

So is he who is afflicted by the Lord: The Greek word translated afflicted here is not the same as the word so rendered in verse 14, but the reference may be to the rich man of that verse who is in poor health. This line may be rendered “It is just the same with someone whom the Lord has afflicted with poor health” or “… someone that the Lord has punished by making them sick.” The Hebrew here reads “So it is with a rich person who cannot enjoy his wealth.” There are problems with this, and only Luís Alonso Schökel adopts it for its translation.

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.