Do not consult with a fool, for he will not be able to keep a secret: To the Jewish wisdom writers such as ben Sira, the fool was the opposite of one who is “wise.” In modern English an action may be described as “foolish” if it was not the smart thing to do, and a “foolish person” might do such things. The noun fool, however, is an emotionally charged insult. Ben Sira is here referring to people who show no wisdom. Good News Translation “stupid person” is perhaps not quite on target, but it is much better than fool. A person who is wise will keep confidential what you share, but the stupid person “will not be able to keep secret what you tell him” (Good News Translation). Presumably there is something you would like to have kept confidential, or you would not be asking someone for advice (which is what consult with means here). We may reverse the two lines as follows:

• Stupid people can’t keep a secret, so don’t ask them for advice.

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.