Give a daughter in marriage; you will have finished a great task: It is not clear here whether the great task is the task of raising a daughter, which comes to an end with her marriage, or the task of negotiating her marriage itself. If it is the former task, ben Sira means that raising a daughter is a burdensome (great) task. If it is the latter task, it means that seeing that your daughter marries an appropriate man is an important (great) task. The Hebrew says (and this is pretty close to literal): “Get your daughter married, and your worries are over.”

But give her to a man of understanding: Of course the father arranged for the daughter’s marriage; she had no say in the business. At least ben Sira wants the daughter to be wed to someone with good sense.

We suggest the following two models, based on the two options discussed above:

• When you give your daughter in marriage, you have come to the end of a hard job, but marry her to a man with good sense.

• Finding a husband for your daughter is a very difficult task; make sure she marries a man with good sense.

The Handbook feels that it may be giving ben Sira too much credit for kindness toward women, but we recommend the second option be followed.

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.