Verses 9-11 are a meditation on human mortality. What reason do mortal creatures such as we have to be arrogant? Rulers are still part of the context. Even the most powerful king has a human body that will grow old and sicken and die and decay. The language becomes a bit morbid by verse 11, but it illustrates the absurdity of human pride.

How can he who is dust and ashes be proud?: Dust and ashes refers to the human body as made of material stuff (compare Gen 18.27; “dust and ashes” is a play on words in Hebrew). Good News Translation casts this in the first person plural to include all of us: “We are only dust and ashes; what have we got to be proud of?” This is legitimate. Contemporary English Version is also good with “Why are we humans so proud? We are only dust and ashes.” Another approach would be to leave it in the third person singular and let the reference focus on the mortality of rulers. Since “the king” will be specifically mentioned in the next verse, translators could bring this idea forward here as follows: “Rulers are only dust and ashes [or, human]; what have they got to be proud of?” The Handbook thinks that Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have the better approach.

For even in life his bowels decay: This line is difficult (see the Revised Standard Version footnote). Whatever it is talking about, it is not something pleasant. The Greek is literally “because in life his bowels cast away.” The Hebrew, which is not terribly clear itself, reads, at its most literal level, “whose intestines become wormy in life,” or less literally, “whose body decays during life.” Modern European and American scholars, living in antiseptic conditions, may find this harder to understand than an ancient reader or modern translators in the field would. We strongly suspect that ben Sira meant exactly what the Hebrew seems to say, that even in life, let alone in death, the human gut is host to worms. The Greek translator is probably using a euphemism for a bodily function, which would make the same point. We suggest that translators say something like the following, as best they can in their own situation: “Even during life our guts [or, intestines] can harbor worms.” A footnote such as is found in Good News Translation, indicating that this sentence is unclear in both languages, would be in order.

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.