Be content with little or much: Good News Translation says it well with “Be happy with what you have, even if it isn’t very much.”

Most Greek manuscripts end the verse at this point. Some, however, as well as the Latin, have a second line. This second line raises two questions. First, does the second line belong to the text that should be translated? We answer yes.

The second question involves a textual problem in the second line and the meaning of the line, however it is read. The Greek manuscripts read “and you will not hear criticism of [your] house.” (Some manuscripts have “your,” others do not, but it is implied in any case.) If we stay with these manuscripts, there is still a problem of interpretation. Does this mean that your household is criticizing you (New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation footnote) or that your household is being criticized by others (Good News Translation, New American Bible, La Bible Pléiade)?

Some scholars reason, however, that the Latin has the correct reading, “and you will not hear criticism of wandering” (so Revised Standard Version footnote). This involves a very small change of the Greek text; both Rahlfs and Ziegler adopt this reading. The meaning is “If you are content with what you have, people will never criticize you for mooching or sponging off other people.” “Wandering” here essentially means “freeloading.” Some who follow this reading are New English Bible “and do not get a name for living on hospitality,” New Revised Standard Version “and you will hear no reproach for being a guest,” An American Translation “And you will not hear the reproach of being a stranger” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), and Shekan “so as not to hear reproach as a parasite.” This reading has the advantage of leading directly into the next verse.

An argument can be made for either reading. The Greek word for “house, household” appears twice in the first line of the next verse, and it could have influenced the copying of this line, resulting in the Greek “you will not hear criticism of your house.” On the other hand, the Greek verb meaning “be a stranger/guest” occurs in the next verse also, and a very similar expression occurs in verse 28 (rendered “lodging” by Revised Standard Version), thus resulting in the reading found in Latin. There is little difference in Greek between the word for “house, household” and the word for “be a stranger/guest.” Of all the options, we believe the emendation based on the Latin makes the most sense, and we recommend it to translators. A possible model that follows this reading for the verse is:

• Be content [or, happy] with what you have, even if it isn’t much, and people will never be able to criticize you for living off others. *
* One ancient translation people … others; some Greek manuscripts don’t listen to anyone insult your family; most Greek manuscripts omit this line.

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.