Good News Bible Anglicised

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 43:12-21 Good News Bible Anglicised (GNBDC)

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 judgements.

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 cloudsand shatters the ice into hailstones.

16-17. He speaks, and thunder twists the earth in pain;the mountains are shaken by his strength.Whenever he wishes, the south wind blows,whirlwinds come, and windstorms from the north.He sends the snow fluttering down like birds,like locusts alighting 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.

20. He sends the cold north wind blowingand the water hardens into ice;every lake and pond freezes over,putting on a coat of icy armour.

21. He scorches the hills of the wilderness with drought,and the grass turns brown from its heat;