When he needs you he will deceive you: The first clause in this line may be translated “If he needs something from you” or “If he needs your help.”

He will smile at you and give you hope: The second clause here can mean “raise your hopes” (New Jerusalem Bible), “give you encouragement,” or even “make you feel good.” So for the whole line we may say “he will smile at you and make you feel good,” or we may combine it with last clause of the first line by saying “he will use his smile to deceive you and make you feel good.”

He will speak to you kindly and say, “What do you need?”: In English the question here may be rendered “How can I help you?”

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.