Sirach 43:1-22

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

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)

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!

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.

¹³ By his command he sends the driving snow
    and speeds the lightnings of his judgment.^(K)
14 Therefore the storehouses are opened,
    and the clouds fly out like birds.^(L)
15 In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength,
    and the hailstones are broken in pieces.
^17a The voice of his thunder causes the earth to tremble;
    when he appears, the mountains shake.
At his will the south wind blows,^(M)
    so do the storm from the north and the whirlwind.
He scatters the snow like birds flying down,
    and its descent is like locusts alighting.^(N)
18 The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness,
    and the mind is amazed as it falls.
¹⁹ He pours frost over the earth like salt,
    and icicles form like pointed thorns.^(O)
20 The cold north wind blows,
    and ice freezes on the water;
it settles on every pool of water,
    and the water puts it on like a breastplate.
²¹ He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness
    and withers the tender grass like fire.
²² A mist quickly heals all things;
    the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.^(P)