Sirach 43 - Contemporary English Version Interconfessional Edition

¹ Nothing can compare with the glorious sight of the clear, blue sky.

² And you can almost hear the rising sun say, “I am a wonderful creation of the Most High God.”

³ By noon its fiery heat has dried out the soil. It forces people into the shade,

⁴ and scorches mountain slopes. The sun's blinding light is three times hotter than any fire we can build.

⁵ Our great Lord created the sun, and when he commands, it hurries to obey.

⁶ The moon also has its turn in the sky serving as a sign of the changing months,

⁷ and setting the times for sacred festivals. When its light has become dark, a new month begins—

⁸ the word “month” even comes from “moon”— then we watch in amazement, as the moon gradually grows until it is full, giving light to God's armies in the heavens above.

⁹ Heaven, the Lord's home, is decorated at night with beautiful, twinkling stars.

¹⁰ They never rest but stand guard where he has placed them.

¹¹ Look at the rainbow, bright and beautiful, and praise its Creator,

¹² who bent it with his hands and placed it around the sky.

¹³ At the Lord's command, snow begins to fall, and lightning quickly obeys.

¹⁴ And like birds, the clouds fly from his storehouse.

¹⁵ He gives them his great power, and he crushes hailstones. *

¹⁶ His voice thunders at the earth, and at the sight of him, mountains tremble.

¹⁷ The whirlwind obeys him, as do winds from the south and storms from the north. God sends the snow, and it settles on the ground like a flock of birds or a swarm of locusts.

¹⁸ We watch amazed as it floats down, white and lovely.

¹⁹ He sprinkles frost as though it were salt, and icicles form.

²⁰ A freezing north wind makes the surface of every pond hard as armor.

²¹ God sends the fiery heat, and deserted mountain pastures are scorched and withered.

²² But soon the early morning mist and the refreshing dew will heal the damage.

²³ The Lord calmed the oceans and placed the islands, all according to his plan.

²⁴ And when sailors tell stories of danger at sea, we are amazed.

²⁵ The oceans are home to strange creatures and huge monsters.

²⁶ God tells each of these things what to do, and because of his power, they never fail. All creation is held together by his command.

²⁷ We could never finish telling what God has done, so we should say, “The Lord can be seen in all his creation.”

²⁸ But he is far greater than what he created, so where can we look for strength to praise him?

²⁹ The Lord is fearsome and powerful,

³⁰ so always praise him with all your strength. Don't let yourself grow tired— he deserves more praise than you can give.

³¹ Since no one has seen the Lord and described him to us, we really don't know how to praise him.

³² We have seen so little of God's creation, and we do not understand so many things.

³³ Still, the Lord created it all, and he has given wisdom to those who worship him.