Good News Translation reverses the lines of this verse.

It encircles the heaven with its glorious arc: An arc is a portion of a circle. Good News Translation “circle of glory” is actually more literal than glorious arc. The rainbow does not encircle the sky, but reaches from one point on the horizon to another, so Good News Translation says “spans the horizon.”

The hands of the Most High have stretched it out: Good News Translation is not adding anything by saying “Like a bow.” Although the Greek noun for “bow” is not used, the verb rendered stretched it out is used specifically of drawing a bowstring. Another way to render this line is “The Most High bent it with his hands.”

An alternative model for the verse is:

• The Most High bent it with his hands and stretched it out upon the sky—
from one point on the horizon to another.

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.