Good News Translation‘s paragraph break here is appropriate but optional.

Where there is no fence, the property will be plundered: The Greek noun rendered property is a general term. The Hebrew uses a more specific word meaning “garden, orchard,” and translators who must specify the kind of property involved may use that. Indeed, there is no reason why others should not. Good News Translation includes in its translation who does the plundering and how they do it. They don’t break in, they just walk in and “help themselves.” Fence may be translated “hedge.” Alternative models for this line are “Property [or, A garden] without a fence [around it] will be robbed,” “If you don’t have a fence around your property [or, garden], people can rob you,” and even “Without a fence around your property, robbers can steal whatever they want.”

And where there is no wife, a man will wander about and sigh: A man will wander about and sigh is literally “a wanderer will sigh [or, groan].” Revised English Bible translates sigh as “in misery”; for the whole line it has “where there is no wife, a man wanders about in misery.” Another possible approach is “A man without a wife will be homeless and miserable.”

The two lines of this verse are closely parallel in Greek and Hebrew, and it is desirable for a translation to reflect that, if possible. Good News Translation does this with “If property…” and “if a man…”; Contemporary English Version has “Without a fence…” and “without a wife….”

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.