If he goes astray she will forsake him, and hand him over to his ruin: So far ben Sira has been assuming that his reader is ready to make the commitment to seek wisdom, and accept the hard times that will be involved. He closes with a warning about breaking faith, losing trust—quitting. To “go astray” is to wander, to slacken or grow negligent in the quest for wisdom. Forsake is the opposite of “come straight back” in verse 18. If you go wandering off on your own, Wisdom isn’t going to go after you; she will go straight on and leave you on your own. Alternative models for this verse are:

• But if you wander away from Wisdom, she will abandon you and let you go to your own ruin.

• But if you wander off the path, you will never become wise, and you will be ruined [or, destroyed].

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.