They cannot restore sight to a blind man may be rendered “If a person is blind, they can’t cause him to see again.”

They cannot rescue a man who is in distress: The word distress is correct, but in English it has overtones of psychological or emotional trouble. The Greek word here can mean trouble of any kind, emotional, financial, or physical, and translators need to use a general term like this if it is available in their language. However, to say “nor rescue a man who is in trouble” (Moore) suggests in English that the person is in danger of punishment of some kind, perhaps from the law. The New English Bible rendering “They cannot … give relief to the needy” is too restrictive. The writer is saying that these gods cannot help anyone out of a bad situation or tough circumstances. New American Bible “nor do they save any man in an emergency” puts an interesting twist on it; this is not inconsistent with what the author means, but it may not be his exact idea, either. A general term for distress is preferable. Man, of course, includes both males and females.

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.