¹The clear firmament of the sky is the pride of the higher realms.

The beauty of heaven is glorious to see.

²The rising sun testifies

that it is a wonderful work of the Most High.

³At noon it parches the land.

Who can endure its burning heat?

⁴A person must tend a furnace to get any heat,

but the sun burns three times as hot when it shines upon the mountains.

It breathes out fiery vapors,

and its bright rays blind the eyes.

⁵Great is the Lord who made it,

and at his command the sun speeds along its course.

⁶He created the moon to mark the seasons.

It acts as an eternal sign to regulate the times.

⁷The moon sets apart the days for festivals.

It is a light that wanes as it completes its course.

⁸The month is named after the moon.

It is marvelous as it changes in its phases.

It is a beacon to the stars in the sky,

shining in the heavenly firmament.

⁹The glory of the stars makes the heavens beautiful;

they are a sparkling array in the heights of the Lord.

¹⁰They stand in their appointed places, just as the Holy One has ordered them,

and they are never lax on their watch.

¹¹Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it;

it is very beautiful in its brightness.

¹²It spans the heavens with its glorious arc.

The hands of the Most High have bent it like a bow.

¹³By his command he sends snowstorms

and shoots out lightning to execute judgment.

¹⁴The storehouses of heaven are opened at his command as well,

and the clouds fly out like birds.

¹⁵By his greatness he gives the clouds their strength,

and the hailstones are formed.

¹⁶At his sight the mountains shake,

and at his will the south wind blows.

¹⁷The noise of his thunder causes the earth to recoil,

and the northern storm and the whirlwind to blow.

He makes the snow fall like birds fluttering down;

it settles like a swarm of locusts.

¹⁸The eye admires the beauty of snow’s whiteness,

and the mind is amazed as it falls.

¹⁹The Most High pours frost upon the earth like salt,

and icicles become sharp thorns.

²⁰The cold north wind blows,

and ice forms on the water.

It freezes over every pool of water

and clothes it like armor.

²¹The Most High levels the mountains, burns up the wilderness,

and shrivels the grass like fire.

²²Then a cloud soon heals everything,

and the falling dew brings relief from the heat.

²³By his design the Most High calmed the watery depths

and planted islands in it.

²⁴When those who sail on the sea tell of its dangers,

we are amazed at what we hear.

²⁵The sea contains strange and amazing creatures,

all kinds of living things and great sea monsters.

²⁶It is by the Most High that each messenger reaches his destination,

and by his word all things hold together.

²⁷We could say more but could never say enough.

But the sum of our words is, “He is all.”

²⁸Where can we find the ability to praise him?

For he is greater than all his works.

²⁹The Lord is awesome and very great,

and his power is amazing.

³⁰Glorify the Lord as much as you can,

yet he will far exceed your praise.

When you exalt him, put forth all your strength.

Don’t become weary, for you can never praise him enough.

³¹Who has seen him and can describe him?

Who can praise him for who he really is?

³²Many things greater than these lie hidden from us,

for we have seen but a few of his works.

³³The Lord has made all things,

and to the godly he has given wisdom.