The wise man makes himself beloved through his words: This does not mean that if a person is wise, he will speak in such a way as to win friends. Rather, it describes what happens when a person who is wise (Good News Translation “a person with good judgment”) speaks; he wins friends, becomes popular.

But the courtesies of fools are wasted: For fools see the comments on 8.17. The Greek word translated courtesies describes nice things that are done or said. Good News Translation “shower compliments on everybody” perhaps reads too much into the text, but it is not far off. Ben Sira is surely not saying that stupid people should not be nice to people, but that the courtesies they show cannot overcome the effect of their lack of good sense. Contrary to the effect of the wise person’s words, this person’s words win no friends, no respect; they are wasted. An alternative model for this line is “but a person without good judgment [or, a stupid person] still remains a fool, even when he tries to be nice.”

Those following Ziegler’s Greek text need to be aware that he has emended the text in the first line of this verse. Rather than through his words, Ziegler reads “through a few [words].” This agrees with the Hebrew, and is translated by New Revised Standard Version, which renders this line as follows: “The wise make themselves beloved by only few words” (similarly New American Bible). Translators may choose to go this way and be on good ground. If so, the following is a model for the whole verse:

• A person with good judgment can win friends without saying very much, but a person without good judgment is wasting words even when he tries to be nice.

The identical problem occurs again in verse 27.

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.