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Ben Sira 43
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ben Sira 43
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 43
1 The beauty of the celestial height and the pure firmament,(A)
heaven itself manifests its glory.
2 The sun at its rising shines at its fullest,
a wonderful instrument, the work of the Most High!
3 At noon it scorches the earth,
and who can bear its fiery heat?
4 Like a blazing furnace of solid metal,
the sun’s rays set the mountains aflame;
Its fiery tongue consumes the world;
the eyes are burned by its fire.
5 Great indeed is the Lord who made it,
at whose orders it urges on its steeds.
6 It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,
governing the times, their lasting sign.(B)
7 By it we know the sacred seasons and pilgrimage feasts,
a light which wanes in its course:
8 The new moon like its name[a] renews itself;
how wondrous it is when it changes:
A military signal for the waterskins on high,
it paves the firmament with its brilliance,
9 The beauty of the heavens and the glory of the stars,
a shining ornament in the heights of God.(C)
10 By the Lord’s command the moon keeps its appointed place,
and does not fade as the stars keep watch.
11 Behold the rainbow! Then bless its Maker,
for majestic indeed is its splendor;(D)
12 It spans the heavens with its glory,
the hand of God has stretched it out in power.
13 His rebuke marks out the path for the hail,
and makes the flashes of his judgment shine forth.
14 For his own purposes he opens the storehouse
and makes the rain clouds fly like vultures.
15 His might gives the clouds their strength,
and breaks off the hailstones.
16 The thunder of his voice makes the earth writhe;
by his power he shakes the mountains.
17 A word from him drives on the south wind,
whirlwind, hurricane, and stormwind.
He makes the snow fly like birds;
it settles down like swarms of locusts.
18 Its shining whiteness blinds the eyes,
the mind marvels at its steady fall.
19 He scatters frost like salt;
it shines like blossoms on the thornbush.
20 He sends cold northern blasts
that harden the ponds like solid ground,
Spreads a crust over every body of water,
and clothes each pool with a coat of armor.
21 When mountain growth is scorched by heat,
and flowering plains as by fire,
22 The dripping clouds restore them all,
and the scattered dew enriches the parched land.
23 His is the plan that calms the deep,
and plants the islands in the sea.
24 Those who go down to the sea recount its extent,
and when we hear them we are thunderstruck;(E)
25 In it are his creatures, stupendous, amazing,
all kinds of life, and the monsters of the deep.
26 For him each messenger succeeds,
and at his bidding accomplishes his will.(F)
27 More than this we need not add;
let the last word be, he is the all![b]
28 Let us praise him the more, since we cannot fathom him,
for greater is he than all his works;
29 Awesome indeed is the Lord,
and wonderful his power.
30 Lift up your voices to glorify the Lord
as much as you can, for there is still more.
Extol him with renewed strength,
do not grow weary, for you cannot fathom him.
31 For who has seen him and can describe him?
Who can praise him as he is?(G)
32 Beyond these, many things lie hidden;
only a few of his works have I seen.
33 It is the Lord who has made all things;
to those who fear him he gives wisdom.(H)
Sirach 43
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Sirach 43
New Revised Standard Version Catholic 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.
2 The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises
what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.
3 At noon it parches the land,
and who can withstand its burning heat?
4 A man tending[a] a furnace works in burning heat,
but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains;
it breathes out fiery vapors,
and its bright rays blind the eyes.
5 Great is the Lord who made it;
at his orders it hurries on its course.
The Splendor of the Moon
6 It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,[b]
governing the times, their everlasting sign.
7 From the moon comes the sign for festal days,
a light that wanes when it completes its course.
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.
10 On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places;
they never relax in their watches.
11 Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it;
it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness.
12 It encircles the sky with its glorious arc;
the hands of the Most High have stretched it out.
The Marvels of Nature
13 By his command he sends the driving snow
and speeds the lightnings of his judgment.
14 Therefore the storehouses are opened,
and the clouds fly out like birds.
15 In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength,
and the hailstones are broken in pieces.
17a The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth;
16 when he appears, the mountains shake.
At his will the south wind blows;
17b 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.
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.
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.
23 By his plan he stilled the deep
and planted islands in it.
24 Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers,
and we marvel at what we hear.
25 In it are strange and marvelous creatures,
all kinds of living things, and huge sea-monsters.
26 Because of him each of his messengers succeeds,
and by his word all things hold together.
27 We could say more but could never say enough;
let the final word be: “He is the all.”
28 Where can we find the strength to praise him?
For he is greater than all his works.
29 Awesome is the Lord and very great,
and marvelous is his power.
30 Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can,
for he surpasses even that.
When you exalt him, summon all your strength,
and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.
31 Who has seen him and can describe him?
Or who can extol him as he is?
32 Many things greater than these lie hidden,
for I[d] have seen but few of his works.
33 For the Lord has made all things,
and to the godly he has given wisdom.
Footnotes
- Sirach 43:4 Other ancient authorities read blowing upon
- Sirach 43:6 Heb: Meaning of Gk uncertain
- Sirach 43:8 Heb: Gk The month is named after the moon
- Sirach 43:32 Heb: Gk we
Sirach 43
Good News Translation
Sirach 43
Good News Translation
43 How beautiful is the bright, clear sky above us!
What a glorious sight it is!
2 The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises
how marvelous a thing it is, made by the Most High.
3 At noon it dries up the land;
no one can stand its blazing heat.
4 The setting sun sets fire to the hilltops,
like a metal furnace glowing from the heat.[a]
It sends out fiery rays,
blinding the eyes with its brightness.
5 The Lord, who made it, is great;
it speeds on its way at his command.
6 There is also the moon, marking the passage of time,[b]
an eternal sign of the changing seasons.
7 The moon determines the holy days.
Its light grows full and then grows dim.
8 The month is named after the moon,
marvelous to watch as it grows fuller each night,
a signal light for the heavenly armies,
shining out in the dome of the sky.
9 The shining stars make the night sky lovely,
brilliant ornaments in the Lord's high heavens.
10 They stay in the places assigned to them by the Holy One
and never relax their dutiful watch.
11 Look at the rainbow and praise its Creator!
How magnificent, how radiant, its beauty!
12 Like a bow bent by the hands of the Most High,
it spans the horizon in a circle of glory.
13 He commands, and snow begins to fall;
lightning strikes to carry out his judgments.
14 The storerooms of the sky are thrown open,
and the clouds roll out like flying birds.
15 With his power he forms great masses of clouds
and shatters the ice into hailstones.
16-17 He speaks, and thunder twists the earth in pain;
the mountains are shaken by his strength.[c]
Whenever he wishes, the south wind blows,
whirlwinds come, and windstorms from the north.
He sends the snow fluttering down like birds,
like locusts lighting on the ground.
18 We marvel at its beautiful whiteness,
and in fascination we watch it fall.
19 He sprinkles frost over the ground like salt,
and it freezes into thorny flowers of ice.[d]
20 He sends the cold north wind blowing
and the water hardens into ice;
every lake and pond freezes over,
putting on a coat of icy armor.
21 He scorches the wilderness hills with drought,
and the grass turns brown from its heat;
22 but a cloudy mist restores it all to life
as the weather cools and dew appears.
23 By his wisdom he calmed the great oceans
and placed the islands there.
24 Sailors tell about the dangers of the sea,
and we listen to their tales in amazement.
25 In the sea are strange and marvelous creatures:
huge monsters and all kinds of living things.
26 Each of the Lord's messengers succeeds at its task.
Everything is held together by his word.
27 We could say much more and never finish,
but it all means this: the Lord is everything.
28 How can we find the power to praise him?
He is greater than all his creation.
29 The Lord is awesome in his greatness;
his power is overwhelming.
30 Though you do your best to praise him,
he is greater than you can ever express.
Though you honor him tirelessly and with all your strength,
you still cannot praise him enough.
31 No one has seen him, no one can describe him;
no one can praise him as he deserves.
32 Mysteries greater than these are still unknown;
we know only a fraction of his works.
33 The Lord made the universe
and then gave wisdom to devout people.
Footnotes
- Sirach 43:4 Hebrew The setting...heat; Greek A man at a furnace works with scorching heat, but the sun burns the hills three times as much.
- Sirach 43:6 Hebrew marking...time; Greek unclear.
- Sirach 43:16 Hebrew by his strength; Greek when he appears.
- Sirach 43:19 Hebrew flowers of ice; Greek points.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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