There were those who ruled in their kingdoms: Good News Translation is good here. Another possible model is “Some of these men ruled over kingdoms,” or simply “There were some who were kings [or, high chiefs].”

And were men renowned for their power: This line is not necessarily speaking of the same men as the first line, as Revised Standard Version would have it. We suggest “and some were known for their courage [or, famous as great heroes]” or “some had a reputation for being very brave people.” This interprets the general Greek word power in light of the Hebrew, which is more specific.

Giving counsel by their understanding: This line is speaking about still another type of famous man. Good News Translation expresses the idea quite simply with “Some were wise advisers”; Contemporary English Version has “Some gave wise advice.”

And proclaiming prophecies: This refers to still another group. Again Good News Translation is good, but New English Bible is tempting with “who spoke out with prophetic power.” In many languages proclaiming prophecies will be expressed as “spoke messages from God” (Contemporary English Version).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• There were some who were kings [or, high chiefs],
and some were known for their courage.
Some were wise advisers,
and some spoke messages from God.

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.