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The Splendour of the Sun

43The 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 marvellous 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 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.
⁵ Great is the Lord who made it;
   at his orders it hurries on its course.

The Splendour of the Moon

⁶ It is the moon that marks the changing seasons,^*
   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;^*
   how marvellous 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 judgement.
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.