Sirach

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

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

³At 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. ↗

⁴In three ways, the sun acts: scorching the mountains, emitting fiery rays, and shining with its beams that can blind the eyes. ↗

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁸The voice of his thunder will reverberate through the earth, by a storm from the north, and by a gathering of the whirlwind. ↗

¹⁹And 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. ↗

²⁰The eye is in wonder at the beauty of its whiteness, and the heart is astonished at its falling. ↗

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

²²The 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. ↗

²³And it will devour the mountains, and burn the wilderness, and extinguish the greenery, like a fire. ↗

²⁴Relief for all is in the hurried arrival of a cloud. And the lowly dew will arrive to meet the heat and overpower it. ↗

²⁵At his word, the wind grows quiet, and by his thought, he appeases the abyss, for the Lord has planted islands in it. ↗

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

²⁷There are illustrious and wondrous works: the various kinds of wild animals, and all manner of cattle, and the great creatures of the sea. ↗

²⁸Through him, the end of their journey is confirmed, and by his word, all things fit together. ↗

²⁹We can say much, and yet still lack for words. But the consummation of our words is this: He is in all things. ↗

³⁰What would we be able to do to glorify him? For the Almighty himself is above all his own works. ↗

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

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

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

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

³⁵Who will see him and explain? And who will magnify him, as he is from the beginning? ↗

³⁶There are many things, hidden from us, which are greater than these things. For we have seen but a few of his works. ↗

³⁷But the Lord has made all things, and he has given wisdom to those who act with piety. ↗