Do not forget all the kindness of your surety: Your surety refers to a person, the person who has been willing to guarantee your debt. Good News Translation makes this clear by restructuring this line; all the kindness of your surety becomes a conditional clause, “If someone does this favor for you.” Contemporary English Version has “if friends have helped you this way.” We could also say “If someone is kind enough to do this for you.”

For he has given his life for you: Revised Standard Version offers a literal translation of an overstatement here. The person guaranteeing debts does not in fact give his life, although he puts himself in a position where he could well be sold into slavery to repay the debt he has guaranteed. Such a person risked a good deal more than just “his good name” (Good News Translation). New English Bible has “for he has staked his very self.” We could also say “he has risked everything for you” or “they have risked all they own to be kind and rescue you” (Contemporary English Version).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• If someone is kind enough to do this for you, don’t forget it; they have risked everything for you.

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.