Most scholars seem convinced that these four lines in verses 24-25 are out of order in most Greek manuscripts, and they are probably right. In his Greek text Ziegler has rearranged them in the order 24a, 25b, 24b, 25a. New Revised Standard Version and Box and Oesterley follow this order. Neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation has done so, but had they joined the two verse numbers, either translation could serve just as well as a translation of Ziegler’s text. The models we will offer below will follow the order of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, but on translational grounds, not textual. We urge translators to join these two verse numbers, whether or not they follow the models suggested below. This will simplify things considerably.

First, there needs to be an explanation of what Good News Translation has done here. Notice that there are four imperative verbs in these lines. Revised Standard Version translates them fence in, lock up, make, and make. The first two of these are commands to do what people do anyway; everyone will take measures to protect their property. Ben Sira is saying “Just as you do these first two things, do the next also: be careful with your words.” Good News Translation translates the first two commands as questions anticipating a positive answer: “Of course we fence in our property and lock up our money.” It then applies this idea to speech: “Well, be just as careful with what you say.” The imagery of the balance scales and the lock follows in the next sentence.

See that you fence in your property with thorns: Property owners could protect their property by planting hedgerows of thornbushes around it. Good News Translation omits with thorns on the grounds that it adds nothing to the meaning while raising problems for some readers in cultures where properties are protected by wooden or metal fences or stone walls.

Lock up your silver and gold: Silver and gold is translated simply as “money” by Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version. This is all right, but not necessary. Certainly people would lock up any objects they owned made of gold or silver, not just coins. Some translators may want to say simply “valuables.” Rather than using questions as Good News Translation does, Contemporary English Version uses statements in verse 24 as follows: “You protect your land with a hedge of thornbushes and you keep your money locked away safely.”

Make balances and scales for your words: The two words, balances and scales, mean the same thing; both refer to a device used to weigh silver and gold (see the comments at 26.15). Good News Translation expresses the meaning through a verb rather than nouns by rendering this line as “Weigh every word.” This means “Before you speak, think about every word you are going to say.”

And make a door and a bolt for your mouth: This means “If you find that you are about to say something you will regret, keep your mouth shut, just as if it were locked.” Good News Translation says it well with “and have a lock ready for your mouth.” Contemporary English Version is also good, saying “Always think before you speak, and know when to be silent.”

Following the order of lines used in Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version, we could combine verses 24-25 as follows:

• Don’t you protect your property with thornbushes all around it? Don’t you keep your silver and gold locked up? Be just as careful with what you say. Weigh [or, Consider] every word before you speak, and be ready to lock your mouth shut.

• You protect your property with fences, and you lock up your silver and gold [or, valuables]! Well then, be just as careful with what….

These suggested models, by combining the two verses, do not try to solve the textual question of the proper order of lines in Greek. In our opinion the order in the above models simply results in a translation that is easier to follow.

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.