A fool’s gift will profit you nothing: If a stupid person (Good News Translation “such a person” is following through from the previous line) gives you something, you really haven’t got much. It’s a good thing this line is simple and clear, because the next one is not.

For he has many eyes instead of one: This is a literal translation. New Revised Standard Version translates the Syriac by saying “he looks for recompense sevenfold.” Luís Alonso Schökel substantially translates the Latin with “for he looks at it with seven eyes.” If we approach this as a textual problem, it is uncommonly difficult, and we believe it is safest to follow the Greek here. (The Hebrew of this verse does not survive.) The problem is what the Greek means, and in our judgment Good News Translation is entirely reasonable with “it won’t be as valuable as he thinks it is.” Compare New English Bible: “it looks bigger to him than it does to you.” This is the best option, and we think that a footnote is not necessary. It would be fair to say in a footnote that the meaning of this line is unclear, but giving other possible renderings will get a translator entangled in the textual problem, and that is not necessary here.

The reason you don’t have much if a person with poor judgment gives you something, is that this person may have so little sense of value that he thinks he is giving you a fine gift when in fact, as someone with good judgment and taste would realize, it is really not worth much. This fits in with the general theme of this section, taking a critical look at what things are really worth.

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.