Their sons is better interpreted as “Their children” (Good News Translation), or even better, “Their descendants” (New Revised Standard Version).

There is a better way of structuring this verse and the last line of verse 20 than the way taken by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. It involves nothing more than revising the punctuation of the Greek text. It would read as follows:

• … Neither have their descendants reached her [laid hold of her]; they have strayed far from her paths.

If we were to restructure the Good News Translation text to reflect this, it would read:

• … They did not find the path to Wisdom. Their children also failed to reach her.

There is a problem with the word her in this verse, because the Greek text reads “their” (Revised Standard Version footnote). There are three possibilities:
(a) Change the text with the Syriac version to read “her,” which most scholars and most versions do. The reference would, of course, be to Wisdom.
(b) Translate “their,” with the meaning “they have strayed far from their [own] paths, the place where they should be.” Compare the use of “his way” in Job 17.9 and “your way” in Pro 5.8. This interpretation makes the most conservative use of the Greek text and is quite reasonable. Translators are urged to consider it.
(c) Translate “their ancestors,” with the meaning “they have strayed far from the ways of their ancestors” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

If translators were to take the restructuring suggested above and alter it to agree with the second of these interpretations, it could read:

• … Neither have their descendants reached her [laid hold of her]; they have strayed far from where they should be.

And again, if we were to restructure the Good News Translation text to reflect this, it would read:

• … They did not find the path to Wisdom. Their children also failed to reach the place they should have been.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.