This verse is closely parallel to verse 29, with the first line devoted to God and the second to the priests.

With all your might love your Maker: The phrase With all your might refers to physical strength (compare 6.26; Deut 6.5). For With all your might love, Contemporary English Version has “Put all your strength into loving.” Your Maker is literally “the one who made you,” which Good News Translation translates “your Creator.” By referring to the Lord as “the one who made you,” the writer may intend to remind the reader of verse 28, where he pointed out that we owe our lives to our parents.

And do not forsake his ministers: This does not mean we are not to go off and leave them alone somewhere; it means we are to fulfill our obligations to them, as laid down in the Law of Moses. Good News Translation says “and give his ministers your support,” which is good. Contemporary English Version is also helpful with “and be sure that his servants make a good living,” which means that they should have enough food, money, and clothing to survive. His ministers is literally “those who serve him”; this is only a poetic synonym for the priests. If this is not clear for readers, it will be helpful to repeat the word “priests.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• With all your strength [or, energy] love the Lord who made you, and make sure that his priests have enough to live on.

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.