The article approaches a little-known «Alternative Prologue» to Ben Sira. The «Alternative Prologue» is attested in one of the most important minuscules as a preface, it probably came from the «Synopsis» of Athanasius of Alexandria. Even though the «Alternative Prologue» influenced the history of first printed European Bibles it is neglected by the scholars remaining practically unknown. In this article, we offer a Russian translation supplying it with some historical and philological notes.