I inclined my ear a little and received her, and I found for myself much instruction: We believe Good News Translation has missed the meaning here. This verse means “The effort I put into the search for Wisdom was small compared to the [great] amount of knowledge that I gained.” Compare verse 27.

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.