Do not delight in what pleases the ungodly: The way that irreligious people live may be attractive in some ways, but the wise will not try to find their pleasures that way. Good News Translation has “Don’t take pleasure in the things that make ungodly people happy,” and Contemporary English Version says “Don’t look for happiness where ungodly people do,” or we may use figurative language; for example, “Don’t walk in the paths that the ungodly use to find happiness.” For ungodly see the comments on 7.17.

Remember that they will not be held guiltless as long as they live is literally “remember that they will not be declared innocent until Hades.” “Hades” is a Greek term for the world of the dead. This line implies that the Lord holds the ungodly guilty, and that sometime before they die they will get their punishment. They will not escape judgment indefinitely. Good News Translation lacks this latter idea. We would suggest an approach like this: “Remember that the Lord knows their guilt, and they will not die without being punished” or “… and he will punish them before they die.”

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.