In Jewish teaching no household was supposed to live as an island. It had an obligation to the community at large. Here ben Sira reminds the reader that in managing a household, one must make allowance for something to be given to the poor (see 3.30–4.10). Compassion must also be shown for sick people and those in mourning (verses 33-35).

Stretch forth your hand to the poor: This verse begins with the Greek word that may be rendered “And/Also,” but here it is ignored by both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. This is often sound procedure, but here the word should be expressed in some way. Ben Sira is saying we are to give to the priests, but also to the poor. To “stretch out the hand” is to give. The line simply says “Give to the poor also.”

So that your blessing may be complete is literally “so that your blessing be completed [or, perfected].” It is really not clear here who blesses the one giving to the poor. It could be the Lord or it could be the poor person. Later, in 37.24, ben Sira speaks of the wise man being “full of blessings” (literal Greek), meaning that other people, honoring him for his wisdom, bless him, that is, ask God to bless him. The reference here may be to the poor person’s asking God to bless the donor. In 4.5 ben Sira has spoken of a beggar, being refused, cursing a person. Now he may be thinking of the wise man who treated everyone well, including friends, sons, daughters, wife, father, mother, priests; now, by doing a kindness for a poor person, he has completed the circle of those with whom he has contact, and they all have cause to bless him, to make him “full of blessings.” With this understanding, the line could be translated “and everyone you know will speak well of you” or “and everyone you know will say, ‘The Lord bless you.’ ”

However, we recommend the other interpretation by expressing the line as “and the Lord will bless you as only he can.” This is because in Deut 14.28-29 Moses tells the people to give a tithe of their crops to the Levites, the foreigners, the widows and orphans, “so that the LORD your God may bless you…” (Deut 14.29b in New Revised Standard Version). Blessing refers to causing “success” or “prosperity” to befall the person (compare 4.13). So we may translate “and the Lord will cause you to prosper” or “… will give you complete success.”

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.