Sirach 43

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The clear vault of the sky shines forth like heaven itself, a vision of glory.	1 The firmament on high is his beauty; it is the beauty of heaven in a vision of glory.
2 The orb of the sun, resplendent at its rising: what a wonderful work of the Most High!	2 The sun, at its appearance, announces its journey; it is an instrument of wonder, a work of the Most High.
3 At noon it seethes the surface of the earth, and who can bear its fiery heat?	3 At midday, it scorches the earth. And in the presence of its heat, who would be able to endure? It is like the custodian of a furnace in its works of heat.
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 In three ways, the sun acts: scorching the mountains, emitting fiery rays, and shining with its beams that can blind 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 made it, and at his word, it hurries on its journey.
6 The moon, too, that marks the changing times, governing the seasons, their lasting sign,	6 And the moon, in all its phases, serves to mark the seasons and to be a sign of the times.
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 a feast day; it is a light which diminishes at its consummation.
8 As its name says, each month it renews itself; how wondrous in this change!	8 A month is named according to its phases, increasing wonderfully at its culmination.
9 The beauty, the glory, of the heavens are the stars that adorn with their sparkling the heights of God,	9 It is an instrument of the armies on high, shining gloriously in the firmament of heaven.
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 The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven; the Lord illuminates the world from on high.
11 Behold the rainbow! Then bless its Maker, for majestic indeed is its splendor;	11 At the words of the Holy One, they stand for judgment, and they will never fail in their vigilance.
12 It spans the heavens with its glory, this bow bent by the mighty hand of God.	12 Consider the rainbow, and bless the One who made it; it is very beautiful in its splendor.
13 His rebuke marks out the path for the lightning, and speeds the arrows of his judgment to their goal.	13 It encompasses the heavens with the circle of its glory; the hands of the Most High made it appear.
14 At it the storehouse is opened, and like vultures the clouds hurry forth.	14 By his order, he hastens the snow, and he spurs on the lightning to express his judgment.
15 In his majesty he gives the storm its power and breaks off the hailstones.	15 In like manner, his storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds.
16 The thunder of his voice makes the earth writhe; before his might the mountains quake.	16 By his greatness, he has positioned the clouds, and the hailstones have been broken.
17 A word from him drives on the south wind, the angry north wind, the hurricane and the storm.	17 At his glance, the mountains will be shaken, and by his will, the south wind will blow.
18 He sprinkles the snow like fluttering birds; it comes to settle like swarms of locusts.	18 The voice of his thunder will reverberate through the earth, by a storm from the north, and by a gathering of the whirlwind.
19 Its shining whiteness blinds the eyes, the mind is baffled by its steady fall.	19 And like the birds landing in a flock upon the earth, he sends down the snow; and its descent is like the arrival of a swarm of locusts.
20 He scatters frost like so much salt; it shines like blossoms on the thornbush.	20 The eye is in wonder at the beauty of its whiteness, and the heart is astonished at its falling.
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 He will pour out frost like salt upon the earth. And when it freezes, it will become like the tops of thistles.
22 When the mountain growth is scorched with heat, and the flowering plains as though by flames,	22 The cold north wind blows, and the water freezes into crystals; it will rest upon every gathering of water, and it will clothe the water like a breastplate.
23 The dripping clouds restore them all, and the scattered dew enriches the parched land.	23 And it will devour the mountains, and burn the wilderness, and extinguish the greenery, like a fire.
24 His is the plan that calms the deep, and plants the islands in the sea.	24 Relief for all is in the hurried arrival of a cloud. And the lowly dew will arrive to meet the heat and overpower it.
25 Those who go down to the sea tell part of its story, and when we hear them we are thunderstruck;	25 At his word, the wind grows quiet, and by his thought, he appeases the abyss, for the Lord has planted islands in it.
26 In it are his creatures, stupendous, amazing, all kinds of life, and the monsters of the deep.	26 Let those who navigate the sea describe its perils. And when we have heard it with our ears, we will wonder.
27 For him each messenger succeeds, and at his bidding accomplishes his will.	27 There are illustrious and wondrous works: the various kinds of wild animals, and all manner of cattle, and the great creatures of the sea.
28 More than this we need not add; let the last word be, he is all in all!	28 Through him, the end of their journey is confirmed, and by his word, all things fit together.
29 Let us praise him the more, since we cannot fathom him, for greater is he than all his works;	29 We can say much, and yet still lack for words. But the consummation of our words is this: He is in all things.
30 Awful indeed is the LORD'S majesty, and wonderful is his power.	30 What would we be able to do to glorify him? For the Almighty himself is above all his own works.
31 Lift up your voices to glorify the LORD, though he is still beyond your power to praise;	31 The Lord is terrible, and exceedingly great, and his power is wonderful.
32 Extol him with renewed strength, and weary not, though you cannot reach the end:	32 Glorify the Lord as much as you are able, yet still he will far exceed this. For his magnificence is beyond wonder.
33 For who can see him and describe him? or who can praise him as he is?	33 Bless the Lord and exalt him, as much as you are able. But he is beyond all praise.
34 Beyond these, many things lie hid; only a few of his works have we seen.	34 When you exalt him, use all your ability, and do not cease in this labor. For you can never comprehend him.
35 It is the LORD who has made all things, and to those who fear him he gives wisdom.	35 Who will see him and explain? And who will magnify him, as he is from the beginning?
	36 There are many things, hidden from us, which are greater than these things. For we have seen but a few of his works.
	37 But the Lord has made all things, and he has given wisdom to those who act with piety.