Excel in all that you do: There is a textual problem here. The great majority of Greek manuscripts, and the Latin, read as does Revised Standard Version. One manuscript, as well as the Syriac and the Hebrew, read as does Good News Translation with “Keep control over all that you do.” This fits the context much better. The two Greek verbs involved look alike and could be easily confused. The Handbook urges translators to follow Good News Translation (also New English Bible, Revised English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New American Bible, Luís Alonso Schökel, Box and Oesterley); no footnote is necessary. We could say “Stay in control of everything that affects you.”

Bring no stain upon your honor: If you had to depend on your children, you would lose honor. “Dignity,” “self-esteem,” or “honor/face” is probably better here than “reputation” (Good News Translation). An alternative for this line is “do nothing that will hurt your dignity [or, face].” Contemporary English Version has a helpful model with “and do only what brings honor and not shame.”

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.