He who disciplines his son will profit by him: The Greek word for disciplines here does not necessarily refer to punishment. In the light of verse 1, this may be intended, but in the light of verse 3, it may have the meaning “teach” (this is usually its meaning in this book). For this line New Jerusalem Bible has “Whoever is strict with his son will reap the benefit”; this rendering is better than the one in Good News Translation. We could say (shifting to the second person), “If you are strict with your son, it will pay off” or “If you are strict with your son, he will be of great help to you.”

And will boast of him among acquaintances may be rendered “and you will be able to boast of him to people you know.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• If you are strict with your son, he will be of great help to you, and you will be able to boast about him to people you know [or, acquaintances].

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.