Put him to work, that he may not be idle may be rendered “Keep your slaves busy” (Contemporary English Version).

For idleness teaches much evil: Good News Translation “how to make trouble” is better than much evil. As in verse 26, the evil is not sin against God, but trouble caused the slave’s owner. Idleness, of course, does not actually teach anything. This figure of speech may be easily understood, but translators may want to consider saying “idleness only gives the opportunity for causing trouble.”

An alternative model for the verse is:

• Keep your slaves busy. For if they are idle, they will have the opportunity for thinking of ways to cause trouble.

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.