He who is mighty in speech is known from afar, but the sensible man, when he slips, is aware of it: The text of this verse is uncertain, and the meaning is not clear. Is mighty in speech a favorable portrayal of a “good speaker” (Good News Translation; similarly Contemporary English Version), or is it an ironic description of a “great talker” (Revised English Bible)? Is the sensible man aware of his own slips, or the slips of the one mighty in speech? Both questions can be legitimately answered either way, but using the context as our guide, we prefer to say that mighty in speech is ironic and that the person of sense recognizes his own slips. (For slips see 20.18, where the same Greek word is used.) We assume there is a contrast here between the person of sense and the other person. Since this section is dealing with sin, we assume that the person of sense is dealing with his own sin, not recognizing someone else’s errors. Therefore, we suggest something like this for the verse:

• A smooth [or, clever] talker may be famous everywhere, but a person with good sense [or, common sense] is aware of his own mistakes [or, when he himself says something wrong].

A “smooth talker” is a person who speaks easily and effectively, but deceitfully. Translators who do not like this interpretation may say:

• A good [or, great] speaker may be famous everywhere, but when he slips [or, makes a mistake], people with good sense will notice it.

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.