A lie is an ugly blot on a man: A blot is a stain or spot that spoils the appearance of an object. It is used here figuratively, referring to a defect in “a person’s character” (Good News Translation), not to a mark on a person’s body. “Lying” in Good News Translation seems to work better in English than A lie. For the whole line we could also say “Telling lies is a serious fault in a person’s character.”

It is continually on the lips of the ignorant: This simply means that ignorant people tell lies all the time. In Greek this line is identical with the second line of verse 19.

We may reorder the clauses of this verse as follows:

• Ignorant people always lie. They don’t know that telling lies shows a serious fault in their character.

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.