Sirach 43

Apo

1 The pride of the height, the clear firmament, the beauty of heaven, with his glorious shew;

2 The sun when it appeareth, declaring at his rising a marvellous instrument, the work of the most High:

3 At noon it parcheth the country, and who can abide the burning heat thereof?

4 A man blowing a furnace is in works of heat, but the sun burneth the mountains three times more; breathing out fiery vapours, and sending forth bright beams, it dimmeth the eyes.

5 Great is the Lord that made it; and at his commandment runneth hastily.

6 He made the moon also to serve in her season for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world.

7 From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreaseth in her perfection.

8 The month is called after her name, increasing wonderfully in her changing, being an instrument of the armies above, shining in the firmament of heaven;

9 The beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the Lord.

10 At the commandment of the Holy One they will stand in their order, and never faint in their watches.

11 Look upon the rainbow, and praise him that made it; very beautiful it is in the brightness thereof.

12 It compasseth the heaven about with a glorious circle, and the hands of the most High have bended it.

13 By his commandment he maketh the snow to fall aplace, and sendeth swiftly the lightnings of his judgment.

14 Through this the treasures are opened: and clouds fly forth as fowls.

15 By his great power he maketh the clouds firm, and the hailstones are broken small.

16 At his sight the mountains are shaken, and at his will the south wind bloweth.

17 The noise of the thunder maketh the earth to tremble: so doth the northern storm and the whirlwind: as birds flying he scattereth the snow, and the falling down thereof is as the lighting of grasshoppers:

18 The eye marvelleth at the beauty of the whiteness thereof, and the heart is astonished at the raining of it.

19 The hoarfrost also as salt he poureth on the earth, and being congealed, it lieth on the top of sharp stakes.

20 When the cold north wind bloweth, and the water is congealed into ice, it abideth upon every gathering together of water, and clotheth the water as with a breastplate.

21 It devoureth the mountains, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the grass as fire.

22 A present remedy of all is a mist coming speedily, a dew coming after heat refresheth.

23 By his counsel he appeaseth the deep, and planteth islands therein.

24 They that sail on the sea tell of the danger thereof; and when we hear it with our ears, we marvel thereat.

25 For therein be strange and wondrous works, variety of all kinds of beasts and whales created.

26 By him the end of them hath prosperous success, and by his word all things consist.

27 We may speak much, and yet come short: wherefore in sum, he is all.

28 How shall we be able to magnify him? for he is great above all his works.

29 The Lord is terrible and very great, and marvellous is his power.

30 When ye glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as ye can; for even yet will he far exceed: and when ye exalt him, put forth all your strength, and be not weary; for ye can never go far enough.

31 Who hath seen him, that he might tell us? and who can magnify him as he is?

32 There are yet hid greater things than these be, for we have seen but a few of his works.

33 For the Lord hath made all things; and to the godly hath he given wisdom.

Sep

1 γαυρίαμα ὕψους στερέωμα καθαριότητος εἶδος οὐρανοῦ ἐν ὁράματι δόξης

2 ἥλιος ἐν ὀπτασίᾳ διαγγέλλων ἐν ἐξόδῳ σκεῦος θαυμαστόν ἔργον ὑψίστου

3 ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀναξηραίνει χώραν καὶ ἐναντίον καύματος αὐτοῦ τίς ὑποστήσεται

4 κάμινον φυσῶν ἐν ἔργοις καύματος τριπλασίως ἥλιος ἐκκαίων ὄρη ἀτμίδας πυρώδεις ἐκφυσῶν καὶ ἐκλάμπων ἀκτῖνας ἀμαυροῖ ὀφθαλμούς

5 μέγας κύριος ὁ ποιήσας αὐτόν καὶ ἐν λόγοις αὐτοῦ κατέσπευσεν πορείαν

6 καὶ ἡ σελήνη ἐν πᾶσιν εἰς καιρὸν αὐτῆς ἀνάδειξιν χρόνων καὶ σημεῖον αἰῶνος

7 ἀπὸ σελήνης σημεῖον ἑορτῆς φωστὴρ μειούμενος ἐπὶ συντελείας

8 μὴν κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς ἐστιν αὐξανόμενος θαυμαστῶς ἐν ἀλλοιώσει σκεῦος παρεμβολῶν ἐν ὕψει ἐν στερεώματι οὐρανοῦ ἐκλάμπων

9 κάλλος οὐρανοῦ δόξα ἄστρων κόσμος φωτίζων ἐν ὑψίστοις κυρίου

10 ἐν λόγοις ἁγίου στήσονται κατὰ κρίμα καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκλυθῶσιν ἐν φυλακαῖς αὐτῶν

11 ἰδὲ τόξον καὶ εὐλόγησον τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτὸ σφόδρα ὡραῖον ἐν τῷ αὐγάσματι αὐτοῦ

12 ἐγύρωσεν οὐρανὸν ἐν κυκλώσει δόξης χεῖρες ὑψίστου ἐτάνυσαν αὐτό

13 προστάγματι αὐτοῦ κατέσπευσεν χιόνα καὶ ταχύνει ἀστραπὰς κρίματος αὐτοῦ

14 διὰ τοῦτο ἠνεῴχθησαν θησαυροί καὶ ἐξέπτησαν νεφέλαι ὡς πετεινά

15 ἐν μεγαλείῳ αὐτοῦ ἴσχυσεν νεφέλας καὶ διεθρύβησαν λίθοι χαλάζης

16 καὶ ἐν ὀπτασίᾳ αὐτοῦ σαλευθήσεται ὄρη ἐν θελήματι αὐτοῦ πνεύσεται νότος

17 φωνὴ βροντῆς αὐτοῦ ὠνείδισεν γῆν καὶ καταιγὶς βορέου καὶ συστροφὴ πνεύματος

18 ὡς πετεινὰ καθιπτάμενα πάσσει χιόνα καὶ ὡς ἀκρὶς καταλύουσα ἡ κατάβασις αὐτῆς κάλλος λευκότητος αὐτῆς ἐκθαυμάσει ὀφθαλμός καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὑετοῦ αὐτῆς ἐκστήσεται καρδία

19 καὶ πάχνην ὡς ἅλα ἐπὶ γῆς χέει καὶ παγεῖσα γίνεται σκολόπων ἄκρα

20 ψυχρὸς ἄνεμος βορέης πνεύσει καὶ παγήσεται κρύσταλλος ἐφ᾽ ὕδατος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν συναγωγὴν ὕδατος καταλύσει καὶ ὡς θώρακα ἐνδύσεται τὸ ὕδωρ

21 καταφάγεται ὄρη καὶ ἔρημον ἐκκαύσει καὶ ἀποσβέσει χλόην ὡς πῦρ

22 ἴασις πάντων κατὰ σπουδὴν ὁμίχλη δρόσος ἀπαντῶσα ἀπὸ καύσωνος ἱλαρώσει

23 λογισμῷ αὐτοῦ ἐκόπασεν ἄβυσσον καὶ ἐφύτευσεν ἐν αὐτῇ νήσους

24 οἱ πλέοντες τὴν θάλασσαν διηγοῦνται τὸν κίνδυνον αὐτῆς καὶ ἀκοαῖς ὠτίων ἡμῶν θαυμάζομεν

25 καὶ ἐκεῖ τὰ παράδοξα καὶ θαυμάσια ἔργα ποικιλία παντὸς ζῴου κτίσις κητῶν

26 δι᾽ αὐτὸν εὐοδοῖ ἄγγελος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν λόγῳ αὐτοῦ σύγκειται τὰ πάντα

27 πολλὰ ἐροῦμεν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀφικώμεθα καὶ συντέλεια λόγων τὸ πᾶν ἐστιν αὐτός

28 δοξάζοντες ποῦ ἰσχύσομεν αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ μέγας παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ

29 φοβερὸς κύριος καὶ σφόδρα μέγας καὶ θαυμαστὴ ἡ δυναστεία αὐτοῦ

30 δοξάζοντες κύριον ὑψώσατε καθ᾽ ὅσον ἂν δύνησθε ὑπερέξει γὰρ καὶ ἔτι καὶ ὑψοῦντες αὐτὸν πληθύνατε ἐν ἰσχύι μὴ κοπιᾶτε οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἀφίκησθε

31 τίς ἑόρακεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκδιηγήσεται καὶ τίς μεγαλυνεῖ αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν

32 πολλὰ ἀπόκρυφά ἐστιν μείζονα τούτων ὀλίγα γὰρ ἑωράκαμεν τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ

33 πάντα γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος καὶ τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν ἔδωκεν σοφίαν

Vul

1 [Altitudinis firmamentum pulchritudo ejus est,
species cæli in visione gloriæ.

2 Sol in aspectu annuntians in exitu,
vas admirabile, opus Excelsi.

3 In meridiano exurit terram,
et in conspectu ardoris ejus quis poterit sustinere?
fornacem custodiens in operibus ardoris:

4 tripliciter sol exurens montes,
radios igneos exsufflans,
et refulgens radiis suis obcæcat oculos.

5 Magnus Dominus qui fecit illum,
et in sermonibus ejus festinavit iter.]

6 [Et luna in omnibus in tempore suo,
ostensio temporis, et signum ævi.

7 A luna signum diei festi:
luminare quod minuitur in consummatione.

8 Mensis secundum nomen ejus est,
crescens mirabiliter in consummatione.

9 Vas castrorum in excelsis,
in firmamento cæli resplendens gloriose.

10 Species cæli gloria stellarum:
mundum illuminans in excelsis Dominus.

11 In verbis Sancti stabunt ad judicium,
et non deficient in vigiliis suis.]

12 [Vide arcum, et benedic eum qui fecit illum:
valde speciosus est in splendore suo.

13 Gyravit cælum in circuitu gloriæ suæ:
manus Excelsi aperuerunt illum.

14 Imperio suo acceleravit nivem,
et accelerat coruscationes emittere judicii sui.

15 Propterea aperti sunt thesauri,
et evolaverunt nebulæ sicut aves.

16 In magnitudine sua posuit nubes,
et confracti sunt lapides grandinis.

17 In conspectu ejus commovebuntur montes,
et in voluntate ejus aspirabit notus.

18 Vox tonitrui ejus verberavit terram,
tempestas aquilonis, et congregatio spiritus:

19 et sicut avis deponens ad sedendum, aspergit nivem,
et sicut locusta demergens descensus ejus.

20 Pulchritudinem candoris ejus admirabitur oculus,
et super imbrem ejus expavescet cor.

21 Gelu sicut salem effundet super terram:
et dum gelaverit, fiet tamquam cacumina tribuli.

22 Frigidus ventus aquilo flavit,
et gelavit crystallus ab aqua:
super omnem congregationem aquarum requiescet,
et sicut lorica induet se aquis:

23 et devorabit montes, et exuret desertum,
et extinguet viride, sicut igne.

24 Medicina omnium in festinatione nebulæ:
et ros obvians ab ardore venienti humilem efficiet eum.

25 In sermone ejus siluit ventus,
et cogitatione sua placavit abyssum:
et plantavit in illa Dominus insulas.

26 Qui navigant mare enarrent pericula ejus,
et audientes auribus nostris admirabimur.

27 Illic præclara opera et mirabilia,
varia bestiarum genera, et omnium pecorum, et creatura belluarum.

28 Propter ipsum confirmatus est itineris finis,
et in sermone ejus composita sunt omnia.]

29 [Multa dicemus, et deficiemus in verbis:
consummatio autem sermonum ipse est in omnibus.

30 Gloriantes ad quid valebimus?
ipse enim omnipotens super omnia opera sua.

31 Terribilis Dominus, et magnus vehementer,
et mirabilis potentia ipsius.

32 Glorificantes Dominum quantumcumque potueritis,
supervalebit enim adhuc: et admirabilis magnificentia ejus.

33 Benedicentes Dominum, exaltate illum quantum potestis:
major enim est omni laude.

34 Exaltantes eum, replemini virtute, ne laboretis,
non enim comprehendetis.

35 Quis videbit eum et enarrabit?
et quis magnificabit eum sicut est ab initio?

36 Multa abscondita sunt majora his:
pauca enim vidimus operum ejus.

37 Omnia autem Dominus fecit,
et pie agentibus dedit sapientiam.]