Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 43

¹ Pride of the heights, shining vault, so, in a glorious spectacle, the sky appears.

² The sun, as he emerges, proclaims at his rising, ‘A thing of wonder is the work of the Most High!’

³ At his zenith he parches the land, who can withstand his blaze?

⁴ A man must blow a 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 is the Lord who made him, and whose word speeds him on his course.

⁶ And then the moon, always punctual, to mark the months and make division of time:

⁷ the moon it is that signals the feasts, a luminary that wanes after her full.

⁸ The month derives its name from hers, she waxes wonderfully in her phases, banner of the hosts on high, shining in the vault of heaven.

⁹ The glory of the stars makes the beauty of the sky, a brilliant decoration to the heights of the Lord.

¹⁰ At the words of the Holy One they stand as he decrees, and never grow slack at their watch.

¹¹ See the rainbow and praise its maker, so superbly beautiful in its splendour.

¹² Across the sky it forms a glorious arc drawn by the hands of the Most High.

¹³ By his command he sends the snow, he speeds the lightning as he orders.

¹⁴ In the same way, his treasuries open and the clouds fly out like birds.

¹⁵ In his great might he banks up the clouds, and shivers them into fragments of hail.

¹⁸ He sprinkles snow like birds alighting, it comes down like locusts settling. The eye marvels at the beauty of its whiteness, and the mind is amazed at its falling.

¹⁹ Over the earth, like salt, he also pours hoarfrost, which, when it freezes, bristles like thorns.

²⁰ The cold wind blows from the north, and ice forms on the water, settling on every watery expanse, and water puts it on like a breastplate.

²¹ He swallows up the mountains and scorches the desert, like a fire he consumes the vegetation.

²² But the mist heals everything in good time, after the heat falls the reviving dew.

²³ By his own resourcefulness he has tamed the abyss, and planted it with islands.

²⁴ Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers, their accounts fill our ears with amazement:

²⁵ for there too there are strange and wonderful works, animals of every kind and huge sea creatures.

²⁶ Thanks to him all ends well, and all things hold together by means of his word.

²⁷ We could say much more and still fall short; to put it concisely, ‘He is all’.

²⁸ Where shall we find sufficient power to glorify him, since he is the Great One, above all his works,

²⁹ the awe-inspiring Lord, stupendously great, and wonderful in his power?

³⁰ Exalt the Lord in your praises as high as you may-still he surpasses you. Exert all your strength when you exalt him, do not grow tired-you will never come to the end.

³¹ Who has ever seen him to give a description? Who can glorify him as he deserves?

³² Many mysteries remain even greater than these, for we have seen only a few of his works,

³³ the Lord himself having made all things-and having given wisdom to devout men.