greedy for money / dishonest/selfish/unjust gain / bribery

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “greedy for money,” “dishonest/selfish/unjust gain,” “bribery,” or similar in English is translated in these verses in the Protestant Mandarin Chinese Union Version and the Catholic Sigao version with a historical Chinese idiom: bùyìzhī cái (不義之財 / 不义之财) or “ill-gotten gains.” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)

The Catholic Sigao version additionally uses the idiom in the referenced verses in Sirach.

Translation commentary on Sirach 5:8

Do not depend on dishonest wealth: The Greek here, except for the addition of dishonest, is almost identical with verse 1a. The addition of dishonest makes it slightly different. Dishonest wealth refers to money that has been gotten by any dishonest means, from cheating people to outright robbery. So we may also express this line as “Don’t depend on wealth that you have gained by cheating people.”

For it will not benefit you in the day of calamity: The Greek word rendered calamity was used at 2.2 and 3.28 (where Revised Standard Version has “affliction”). Here in the day of calamity refers to the time when God punishes the sinner. The meaning here is closely connected with the previous verse. When God decides it is time to punish the sinner, not all the money in the world will provide protection. It cannot be relied on. We were warned in verse 1 not to think of our wealth and say, “I have all I need.” We need the Lord’s forgiveness much more. Compare Luke 9.25.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Don’t depend on wealth that you have gained by cheating people. It will do you no good on the day that the Lord punishes 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.