The mountains also and the foundations of the earth shake with trembling when he looks upon them: The foundations of the earth presumably refers to bedrock, the rock beneath all soil and going deep into the earth. This phrase is used frequently in the Old Testament; see 2 Sam 22.16; Psa 18.15; 82.5; Pro 8.29; Isa 24.18; 40.21; Jer 31.37. Shake with trembling is translated by two verbs in Good News Translation (“shake” and “shudder”). Another possible restructuring would be to use a verb and adverb by rendering the whole verse as follows:

• The mountains and the foundations of the earth will shake violently when the Lord looks at them.

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.