The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love him: Good News Translation expresses the meaning here well with “The Lord watches over those who love him,” but we may also say “The Lord takes care of those who….” Compare 15.19.

A mighty protection and strong support: Good News Translation makes this a separate sentence, saying “he is their strong protection and firm support.” Another possible model is “he protects and supports you with his strength.”

A shelter from the hot wind and a shade from noonday sun: In ben Sira’s part of the world, dehydration and sunstroke were dangers when a person was exposed to too much heat and sunlight. Here he compares the Lord to a protection from these threats. Good News Translation‘s translation preserves the metaphors of hot wind (“heat”) and noonday sun, and this may be wise since they may not be completely metaphorical. The author could be saying that the Lord protects us from dangers in nature as well as dangers from other people. A possible alternative model is “He will protect you from the hot sun and give you shade from the burning heat of the sun at noon.” See Psa 121.5-6; Isa 25.4; 49.10.

A guard against stumbling and a defense against falling: A person sick from the sun, beginning to suffer heatstroke, would certainly stumble and fall. This line continues the imagery of the last one, and Good News Translation does well to combine the two lines into one sentence.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• The Lord takes care of you who love him; he protects and supports you with his strength. He will shelter you from the hot wind and give you shade from the burning hot sun at noon [or, when the sun is high in the sky]. He also keeps you from stumbling or falling.

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.