| 1 The clear vault of the sky shines forth like heaven itself, a vision of glory. | 1 Pride of the heights, a clear vault of the sky -- such is the beauty of the heavens, a glorious sight. |
| 2 The orb of the sun, resplendent at its rising: what a wonderful work of the Most High! | 2 The sun, as he emerges, proclaims at his rising, 'How wonderful a thing, 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 his zenith, he parches the ground, who can withstand his blaze? |
| 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 We have to blow the furnace to produce any heat, the sun burns the mountains three times as much;breathing out blasts of fire, flashing his rays, he dazzles the eyes. |
| 5 Great indeed is the LORD who made it, at whose orders it urges on its steeds. | 5 Great is the Lord who created him and whose word speeds him on his course. |
| 6 The moon, too, that marks the changing times, governing the seasons, their lasting sign, | 6 And then the moon, ever punctual to mark the times, an everlasting sign: |
| 7 By which we know the feast days and fixed dates, this light-giver which wanes in its course: | 7 It is the moon that signals the feasts, a luminary that wanes after being ful . |
| 8 As its name says, each month it renews itself; how wondrous in this change! | 8 The month derives its name from hers, she waxes wonderful y in her phases, banner of the hosts onhigh, shining in the vault of heaven. |
| 9 The beauty, the glory, of the heavens are the stars that adorn with their sparkling the heights of God, | 9 The glory of the stars makes the beauty of the sky, a brilliant adornment of the Lord on High. |
| 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 words of the Holy One they stand as he decrees, and never grow slack at their watch. |
| 11 Behold the rainbow! Then bless its Maker, for majestic indeed is its splendor; | 11 See the rainbow and praise its Maker, so superbly beautiful in its splendour. |
| 12 It spans the heavens with its glory, this bow bent by the mighty hand of God. | 12 Across the sky it forms a glorious arc drawn by the hands of the Most High. |
| 13 His rebuke marks out the path for the lightning, and speeds the arrows of his judgment to their goal. | 13 By his command he sends the snow, he speeds the lightning by his command. |
| 14 At it the storehouse is opened, and like vultures the clouds hurry forth. | 14 In the same way, his treasuries open and the clouds fly out like birds. |
| 15 In his majesty he gives the storm its power and breaks off the hailstones. | 15 His great power solidifies the clouds, then pulverises them into hail. |
| 16 The thunder of his voice makes the earth writhe; before his might the mountains quake. | 16 at the sight of him, the mountains quake. At his wil the south wind blows,or the storm from the northand the whirlwind. |
| 17 A word from him drives on the south wind, the angry north wind, the hurricane and the storm. | 17 At the roar of his thunder, the earth writhes in labour, |
| 18 He sprinkles the snow like fluttering birds; it comes to settle like swarms of locusts. | 18 He sprinkles snow like birds alighting, it comes down like locusts settling. The eye marvels at thebeauty of its whiteness, and the mind is amazed at its falling. |
| 19 Its shining whiteness blinds the eyes, the mind is baffled by its steady fall. | 19 Over the earth, like salt, he also pours hoarfrost, which, when it freezes, bristles like thorns. |
| 20 He scatters frost like so much salt; it shines like blossoms on the thornbush. | 20 The cold wind blows from the north, and ice forms on the water; it forms on every piece of standingwater, covering it like 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 The wind swal ows up the mountains and scorches the desert, like a fire it consumes the vegetation. |
| 22 When the mountain growth is scorched with heat, and the flowering plains as though by flames, | 22 But cloud brings swift healing, and dew brings joy after the heat. |
| 23 The dripping clouds restore them all, and the scattered dew enriches the parched land. | 23 By his own resourcefulness he has tamed the abyss, and planted it with islands. |
| 24 His is the plan that calms the deep, and plants the islands in the sea. | 24 Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers, their accounts fill our ears with amazement: |
| 25 Those who go down to the sea tell part of its story, and when we hear them we are thunderstruck; | 25 for there too exist strange and wonderful works, animals of every kind and huge sea creatures. |
| 26 In it are his creatures, stupendous, amazing, all kinds of life, and the monsters of the deep. | 26 Thanks to God, his messenger reaches port, everything works out according to his word. |
| 27 For him each messenger succeeds, and at his bidding accomplishes his will. | 27 We could say much more and stil fal short; to put it concisely, 'He is al .' |
| 28 More than this we need not add; let the last word be, he is all in all! | 28 Where shall we find sufficient power to glorify him, since he is the Great One, above al his works, |
| 29 Let us praise him the more, since we cannot fathom him, for greater is he than all his works; | 29 the awe-inspiring Lord, stupendously great, and wonderful in his power? |
| 30 Awful indeed is the LORD'S majesty, and wonderful is his power. | 30 Exalt the Lord in your praises as high as you may -- stil he surpasses you. Exert al your strengthwhen you exalt him, do not grow tired -- you wil never come to the end. |
| 31 Lift up your voices to glorify the LORD, though he is still beyond your power to praise; | 31 Who has ever seen him to describe him? Who can glorify him as he deserves? |
| 32 Extol him with renewed strength, and weary not, though you cannot reach the end: | 32 Many mysteries remain even greater than these, for we have seen only a few of his works, |
| 33 For who can see him and describe him? or who can praise him as he is? | 33 the Lord himself having created al things and given wisdom to those who are devout. |
| 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. | |