Verses 23-24 warn the reader against certain attitudes by saying that there are certain questions one should not ask, certain things one should not be concerned about.

Do not say, “What do I need, and what prosperity could be mine in the future?”: Do not say means “Do not say [or, think] to yourself.” The two questions here are not requests for information, but simply express silent thoughts. They could be phrased “I wonder what I need. I wonder how successful I will be.” Good News Translation eliminates the quotation altogether. It simply has the author warn the reader against these attitudes: “Don’t be concerned about what you need, or what success the future holds for you.” The second part of Good News Translation‘s rendering could be rephrased as “… or whether you will be a success” or “… or how successful you will be.”

New English Bible has a different interpretation of this verse. The two questions are translated “What use am I? What good can the future hold for me?” So this verse becomes a warning against pessimism and lack of self-confidence. This is a possible way to interpret the Greek, but we recommend following the conventional interpretation in Good News Translation. It makes a better contrast with verse 24, and agrees with the sense of the Hebrew.

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.