Sirach 43

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 The clear vault of the sky shines forth like heaven itself, a vision of glory.	1 The pride of the height, the clear firmament, the beauty of heaven, with his glorious shew;
2 The orb of the sun, resplendent at its rising: what a wonderful work of the Most High!	2 The sun when it appeareth, declaring at his rising a marvellous instrument, the work of the most High:
3 At noon it seethes the surface of the earth, and who can bear its fiery heat?	3 At noon it parcheth the country, and who can abide the burning heat thereof?
4 Like a blazing furnace of solid metal, it sets the mountains aflame with its rays; By its fiery darts the land is consumed; the eyes are dazzled by its light.	4 A man blowing a furnace is in works of heat, but the sun burneth the mountains three times more; breathing out fiery vapours, and sending forth bright beams, it dimmeth the eyes.
5 Great indeed is the LORD who made it, at whose orders it urges on its steeds.	5 Great is the Lord that made it; and at his commandment runneth hastily.
6 The moon, too, that marks the changing times, governing the seasons, their lasting sign,	6 He made the moon also to serve in her season for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world.
7 By which we know the feast days and fixed dates, this light-giver which wanes in its course:	7 From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreaseth in her perfection.
8 As its name says, each month it renews itself; how wondrous in this change!	8 The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament of heaven;
9 The beauty, the glory, of the heavens are the stars that adorn with their sparkling the heights of God,	9 The beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord.
10 At whose command they keep their place and never relax in their vigils. A weapon against the flood waters stored on high, lighting up the firmament by its brilliance,	10 At the commandment of the Holy One they will stand in their order, and never faint in their watches.
11 Behold the rainbow! Then bless its Maker, for majestic indeed is its splendor;	11 Look upon the rainbow, and praise him that made it; very beautiful it is in the brightness thereof.
12 It spans the heavens with its glory, this bow bent by the mighty hand of God.	12 It compasseth the heaven about with a glorious circle, and the hands of the most High have bended it.
13 His rebuke marks out the path for the lightning, and speeds the arrows of his judgment to their goal.	13 By his commandment he maketh the snow to fall aplace, and sendeth swiftly the lightnings of his judgment.
14 At it the storehouse is opened, and like vultures the clouds hurry forth.	14 Through this the treasures are opened: and clouds fly forth as fowls.
15 In his majesty he gives the storm its power and breaks off the hailstones.	15 By his great power he maketh the clouds firm, and the hailstones are broken small.
16 The thunder of his voice makes the earth writhe; before his might the mountains quake.	16 At his sight the mountains are shaken, and at his will the south wind bloweth.
17 A word from him drives on the south wind, the angry north wind, the hurricane and the storm.	17 The noise of the thunder maketh the earth to tremble: so doth the northern storm and the whirlwind: as birds flying he scattereth the snow, and the falling down thereof is as the lighting of grasshoppers:
18 He sprinkles the snow like fluttering birds; it comes to settle like swarms of locusts.	18 The eye marvelleth at the beauty of the whiteness thereof, and the heart is astonished at the raining of it.
19 Its shining whiteness blinds the eyes, the mind is baffled by its steady fall.	19 The hoarfrost also as salt he poureth on the earth, and being congealed, it lieth on the top of sharp stakes.
20 He scatters frost like so much salt; it shines like blossoms on the thornbush.	20 When the cold north wind bloweth, and the water is congealed into ice, it abideth upon every gathering together of water, and clotheth the water as with a breastplate.
21 Cold northern blasts he sends that turn the ponds to lumps of ice. He freezes over every body of water, and clothes each pool with a coat of mail.	21 It devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the grass as fire.
22 When the mountain growth is scorched with heat, and the flowering plains as though by flames,	22 A present remedy of all is a mist coming speedily, a dew coming after heat refresheth.
23 The dripping clouds restore them all, and the scattered dew enriches the parched land.	23 By his counsel he appeaseth the deep, and planteth islands therein.
24 His is the plan that calms the deep, and plants the islands in the sea.	24 They that sail on the sea tell of the danger thereof; and when we hear it with our ears, we marvel thereat.
25 Those who go down to the sea tell part of its story, and when we hear them we are thunderstruck;	25 For therein be strange and wondrous works, variety of all kinds of beasts and whales created.
26 In it are his creatures, stupendous, amazing, all kinds of life, and the monsters of the deep.	26 By him the end of them hath prosperous success, and by his word all things consist.
27 For him each messenger succeeds, and at his bidding accomplishes his will.	27 We may speak much, and yet come short: wherefore in sum, he is all.
28 More than this we need not add; let the last word be, he is all in all!	28 How shall we be able to magnify him? for he is great above all his works.
29 Let us praise him the more, since we cannot fathom him, for greater is he than all his works;	29 The Lord is terrible and very great, and marvellous is his power.
30 Awful indeed is the LORD'S majesty, and wonderful is his power.	30 When ye glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as ye can; for even yet will he far exceed: and when ye exalt him, put forth all your strength, and be not weary; for ye can never go far enough.
31 Lift up your voices to glorify the LORD, though he is still beyond your power to praise;	31 Who hath seen him, that he might tell us? and who can magnify him as he is?
32 Extol him with renewed strength, and weary not, though you cannot reach the end:	32 There are yet hid greater things than these be, for we have seen but a few of his works.
33 For who can see him and describe him? or who can praise him as he is?	33 For the Lord hath made all things; and to the godly hath he given wisdom.
34 Beyond these, many things lie hid; only a few of his works have we seen.
35 It is the LORD who has made all things, and to those who fear him he gives wisdom.