If the lender exerts pressure, he will hardly get back half, and will regard that as a windfall: Good News Translation says this well. “Count himself lucky” means “consider himself lucky,” and translates regard that as a windfall. The Greek is literally “regard it as something found.” The English word windfall literally refers to fruit that has fallen from a tree being shaken by the wind (see verse 4). An alternative model for the first two lines of this verse is “If the lender insists that the person who borrowed the money pay it back, he will feel fortunate to get back half of the money he lent.”

If he does not, the borrower has robbed him of his money, and he [the borrower] has needlessly made him [the lender] his enemy: There is a logical step here that is only implied: “If the lender does not insist on being repaid, he will not get anything back.” It could be helpful to bring this out in translation; for example, “If he does not insist, he will not be repaid at all. The borrower has stolen the money, and made an unnecessary enemy.” The Revised Standard Version footnotes for the first and third lines give the literal Greek text. It would be confusing to use the pronoun “he,” so Revised Standard Version correctly renders it lender and borrower here.

He will repay him with curses and reproaches, and instead of glory will repay him with dishonor: Good News Translation‘s rendering “All the lender will get from him…” avoids the pronoun problems that make Revised Standard Version unclear. The lender, who has kept the commandments by lending the money, deserves “gratitude” (glory), but gets nothing but “curses, insults, and disrespect” (Good News Translation). Ben Sira shows himself to be a good psychologist here; some people, ashamed to owe someone something, will regard the lender with hostility, even though the lender has done nothing but help. The last two lines of this verse may be translated “And instead of respecting the lender, the person who borrowed the money will curse him and insult him, and show no gratitude.”

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.