1The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens. 2The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises what a marvellous instrument it is, the work of the Most High. 3At noon it parches the land, and who can withstand its burning heat? 4A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains; it breathes out fiery vapours, and its bright rays blind the eyes. 5Great is the Lord who made it; at his orders it hurries on its course. 6It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign. 7From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. 8The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvellous it is in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens! 9The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a glittering array in the heights of the Lord. 10On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places; they never relax in their watches. 11Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness. 12It encircles the sky with its glorious arc; the hands of the Most High have stretched it out. 13By his command he sends the driving snow and speeds the lightnings of his judgement. 14Therefore the storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds. 15In 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. 18The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness, and the mind is amazed as it falls. 19He pours frost over the earth like salt, and icicles form like pointed thorns. 20The 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. 21He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness, and withers the tender grass like fire. 22A mist quickly heals all things; the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.