But if you are brought low he will turn against you is literally “If you are humbled, he will be against you.” New English Bible says “but if you come down in the world, he will turn against you.” When you are no longer prosperous, when it is no longer profitable for this false “friend” to be a parasite, he will turn on you. For the first half of this line Contemporary English Version has a good model: “But if you lose your wealth.” We can also express this as “But if you suddenly become poor.”

And will hide himself from your presence: Since this “friend” does not want to share your adversity as he shared your table, he is nowhere to be found. Good News Translation says “and you won’t be able to find them anywhere” (Good News Translation), and Contemporary English Version has “they will disappear.”

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.