Do not boast about wearing fine clothes, nor exalt yourself in the day that you are honored: Good News Translation, in its footnote, gives a good translation of these lines, although the English is idiomatic: “Don’t take pride in fine clothes, and don’t let compliments go to your head.” The second line means “When you receive an honor, don’t take the fine things people say about you too seriously.”

Good News Translation, however, does not translate the Greek in its text. In the first two lines of this verse it prefers the Hebrew since it fits the preceding context and the following context so much better. This is one of those places where the Handbook suggests following the Hebrew, which Good News Translation renders “Don’t make fun of someone who has fallen on hard times and is dressed in rags.” Literally the Hebrew says “Do not mock one wearing a loincloth, and do not mock in the bitterness of the day.” Presumably the person is dressed only in a loincloth because he is too poor to have more clothing; he has “fallen on hard times,” that is, he is reduced to poverty. “Dressed in rags” is an idiomatic English description of someone in such an unhappy situation. In cultures where men wear only loincloths and the women wear grass skirts or something similar, we may say “Don’t make fun of someone who has become so poor that he can’t even afford a loincloth [or, he has to go naked].”

Again, since the Hebrew of the first two lines of this verse fits the context so perfectly, whereas the Greek seems out of place, we urge translators to follow Good News Translation in the use of the Hebrew. For those more conservatively inclined, however, we suggest the model in the paragraph above discussing the Revised Standard Version text.

For the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works are concealed from men: These two lines are easily combined, which Good News Translation does well, but there are problems with the words “wonderful” and “notice.” A better model is “The Lord does astonishing things that human beings will never understand.” Something that is called wonderful can be something that is really good, but not necessarily anything to cause literal wonder. “Astonishing” or “amazing” is closer to the meaning here in Greek. Concealed from men does not necessarily mean that people do not “notice” the things the Lord does, as Good News Translation says, but that people cannot figure them out, cannot comprehend them. The examples the author will give in verses 5-6 are things people would certainly notice and marvel at, but not necessarily understand.

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.