There is a reproof which is not timely: A reproof is a rebuke or reprimand. While it is not necessarily wrong to rebuke a person for some misdeed, there is such a thing as doing it at the wrong time, and if the person has done nothing wrong, any time is the wrong time. An American Translation translates not timely as “uncalled for.” “Wrong time” is closer to the meaning of the Greek expression here than “wrong way” in Good News Translation. Alternative models for this line are “It is possible to rebuke someone at the wrong time” and “Be careful not to rebuke someone at the wrong time.”

And there is a man who keeps silent but is wise: Other ways to say this are “Sometimes it wiser to keep silent than to speak,” “Sometimes it is smart to keep quiet,” and “A really wise person knows when to keep silent.”

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.