Sirach 43

¹ The firmament on high is his beauty; it is the beauty of heaven in a vision of glory.

² The sun, at its appearance, announces its journey; it is an instrument of wonder, a work of the Most High.

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 In three ways, the sun acts: scorching the mountains, emitting fiery rays, and shining with its beams that can blind the eyes.

⁵ Great is the Lord who made it, and at his word, it hurries on its journey.

⁶ And the moon, in all its phases, serves to mark the seasons and to be a sign of the times.

⁷ From the moon is the sign of a feast day; it is a light which diminishes at its consummation.

⁸ A month is named according to its phases, increasing wonderfully at its culmination.

⁹ It is an instrument of the armies on high, shining gloriously in the firmament of heaven.

¹⁰ The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven; the Lord illuminates the world from on high.

¹¹ At the words of the Holy One, they stand for judgment, and they will never fail in their vigilance.

¹² Consider the rainbow, and bless the One who made it; it is very beautiful in its splendor.

¹³ It encompasses the heavens with the circle of its glory; the hands of the Most High made it appear.

¹⁴ By his order, he hastens the snow, and he spurs on the lightning to express his judgment.

¹⁵ In like manner, his storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds.

¹⁶ By his greatness, he has positioned the clouds, and the hailstones have been broken.

¹⁷ At his glance, the mountains will be shaken, and by his will, the south wind will blow.

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 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 The eye is in wonder at the beauty of its whiteness, and the heart is astonished at its falling.

²¹ He will pour out frost like salt upon the earth. And when it freezes, it will become like the tops of thistles.

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 And it will devour the mountains, and burn the wilderness, and extinguish the greenery, like a fire.

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 At his word, the wind grows quiet, and by his thought, he appeases the abyss, for the Lord has planted islands in it.

²⁶ Let those who navigate the sea describe its perils. And when we have heard it with our ears, we will wonder.

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 Through him, the end of their journey is confirmed, and by his word, all things fit together.

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 What would we be able to do to glorify him? For the Almighty himself is above all his own works.

³¹ The Lord is terrible, and exceedingly great, and his power is wonderful.

³² Glorify the Lord as much as you are able, yet still he will far exceed this. For his magnificence is beyond wonder.

³³ Bless the Lord and exalt him, as much as you are able. But he is beyond all praise.

³⁴ When you exalt him, use all your ability, and do not cease in this labor. For you can never comprehend him.

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.