Sirach 43:1-12
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Splendor of the Sun
43 The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky,
as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.(A)
2 The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises
what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.(B)
3 At noon it parches the land,
and who can withstand its burning heat?(C)
4 A man tending[a] a furnace works in burning heat,
but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains;
when it breathes out fiery vapors
and when it shines forth its rays, it blinds the eyes.(D)
5 Great is the Lord who made it;
at his orders it hurries on its course.(E)
The Splendor of the Moon
6 It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,[b]
governing the times, an everlasting sign.(F)
7 From the moon comes the sign for festal days,
a light that wanes when it completes its course.(G)
8 The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself;[c]
how marvelous it is in this change,
a beacon to the hosts on high
shining in the vault of the heavens!
The Glory of the Stars and the Rainbow
9 The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven,
a glittering array in the heights of the Lord.(H)
10 On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places;
they never relax in their watches.(I)
11 Look at the rainbow and praise him who made it;
it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.(J)
12 It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;
the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.