When a man has finished, he is just beginning: “The end of that story” in Good News Translation helps the reader understand that finished refers to recounting the Lord’s “merciful actions” (verse 5). Good News Translation is good; another approach would be “When we think we have accounted for them all, we find we have not even begun.”

And when he stops, he will be at a loss: At a loss may be translated “perplexed” or “puzzled.” Good News Translation “at a loss for words” is effective, but relies on an English idiom. We could translate the whole line as “We can only give up; we are overwhelmed [by it all].” Or we might say “We have to give up in frustration,” or even “If we tried, we would only be frustrated.”

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.