You will wear her like a glorious robe, and put her on like a crown of gladness: Good News Translation appears to have omitted the first line, but it has actually combined it with verse 29b, which, since it reverses verses 29 and 30, immediately precedes this verse in Good News Translation. The imagery of wearing Wisdom as a robe (compare 27.8) or crown recalls Paul’s picture of putting on the whole armor of God in Eph 6.13-17. The expressions used here recall 1.11, and the reader is referred to the comments there which may be relevant here. A slight modification of Good News Translation may be used as a model: “You will wear Wisdom like a magnificent robe, like a splendid crown.” Good News Translation reads “splendid crown” (also New Revised Standard Version), which is closer to “crown of beauty” in the Hebrew text than to crown of gladness in the Greek text. However, this can be considered a translational issue, not requiring a footnote. For translators who cannot personify Wisdom, the following is a possible model:

• When you are wise, your wisdom will be to you like a magnificent robe or crown [or, wreath].

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.