When you are born, you are born to a curse; and when you die, a curse is your lot: Good News Translation (also New Revised Standard Version) reads the Hebrew here, and there are good reasons for thinking it is the better text. For one thing, some Greek manuscripts contain what is the first line of the Hebrew. It also fits better in the context of verses 5-7, which talked about the descendants of sinners. Here the prediction of woe in verse 8 is spelled out: “When you have children, disaster will strike them…” (Good News Translation). The next line in Hebrew is more literally “you will beget them only for groaning” (New Revised Standard Version), which Good News Translation renders “and you will be left with nothing but sorrow.” This could be translated “You will beget [or, raise] them only to grieve over their death.” For the third line in Hebrew Good News Translation has “There will be great joy whenever you stumble.” The reference here is to the sinner making a mistake that brings him down. For the last half of the verse we could say “When you make your fatal mistake, there will be no end of joy. And even after your death you will be cursed.” That is, people will curse your memory. Translators may choose either the Greek or the Hebrew here. The Handbook prefers the Hebrew, and offers the following model for the whole verse:

• When you have children, some disaster will strike [or, kill] them, and you will grieve at their death [or, when they die]. You yourself will make some fatal mistake [or, a mistake that will kill you], and when you do, people will be very joyful [or, will celebrate]. After you die, people will curse [or, say evil things] whenever they think of you.

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.