From eternity, in the beginning, he created me, and for eternity I shall not cease to exist: Compare Pro 8.23. This is a difficult verse. It is literally “Before the age from beginning he created me, and until an age I will not cease.” The Greek word for “age” usually means eternity, but it can also mean “world.” There seems to be a conflict in this verse when it speaks of the creation of Wisdom in the beginning, before eternity, since eternity, by definition, has no beginning. An American Translation translates “He created me from the beginning, before the world, And I shall never cease.” This solves the problem in the first line, but hides the problem in the second one. New Revised Standard Version is good with “Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me, and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.” This says substantially what Good News Translation says. Good News Translation‘s translation would be simpler, and perhaps not lose anything, by eliminating the references to “eternity” as follows:

• He created me a long time ago [or, ages ago] before time began,
and I will exist for all time to come.

Another possible model is:

• In the beginning, before time existed, he created me,
and for all the ages I shall not cease existing.

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.