The Lord himself created wisdom is literally “The Lord himself created her” (see the Revised Standard Version footnote), but since Wisdom was not mentioned in verse 8, it is a good idea to repeat the noun here. Notice that Good News Translation capitalizes it. If the translator has moved “the Lord” to verse 8, this verse will begin with some equivalent of “He himself created….”
He saw her and apportioned her is literally “and he saw and counted her.” The Greek verb for “count” was used in 1.2 in the literal sense of counting items. This is its usual meaning. However, it can also be used to count qualities or characteristics of people or God; it is used in 18.5 of God’s power (Revised Standard Version “Who can measure his majestic power?”). It seems to be used here in that sense of measuring or evaluating. In Gen 1 this same sequence occurs; God creates, and looks, and evaluates (sees that it is good; see Gen 1.31). Ben Sira could very well have had the Genesis account in mind when he writes of God creating Wisdom, and it is fair enough to translate this passage with Genesis in mind. Good News Translation appears to do this with “he saw her and recognized her value.” A very bold move would be to render the first two lines as “The Lord himself created Wisdom [or, intelligence/understanding], and saw that she [or, it] was good.”
He poured her out upon all his works: Compare Joel 2.28, where God pours his spirit out on all flesh, and Wis 1.6-7, where Wisdom is a spirit that fills the world. The image is literally of pouring out Wisdom, as a liquid. Good News Translation does not use the metaphor here, perhaps because it prefers to use this image in the next verse, where it is not in the Greek. All his works refer to the works of creation, “everything he made” (Good News Translation). If ben Sira has in mind Pro 8.22, where God creates Wisdom before creating anything else, he probably means by all his works the creation of the natural world, as in Gen 1. Humanity, which was created last, is mentioned in the next verse. New English Bible translates this line as “and infused her into all his works,” that is, created everything wisely; see again Pro 8.22-31. This is presumably what Good News Translation means by “he filled everything he made with Wisdom.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• The Lord himself created Wisdom [or, intelligence]
and saw that she [or, it] was good,
and so he filled everything he made with Wisdom [or, intelligence].
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.