Thou who hast made heaven and earth: For thou and the other archaic pronouns used in this prayer in reference to God, see the comments on Bar 2.11 and LetJer 6. Instead of heaven and earth, Good News Translation has “universe,” which is a somewhat modern term and modern concept, but perhaps not inappropriate. The Greek says literally “the sky and the earth” (see the comments on Bel 5).

With all their order: Order translates the Greek word kosmos; compare Gen 2.1, which reads in Greek “And the sky and the earth and all their order [kosmos] were finished.” The meaning of the word here is not clear. It may refer to orderliness or to beauty—or even to both; so “with all their ordered splendor” is a possible rendering. Good News Translation may be attempting to get across the idea of “order” in the phrase “that fills it.” Contemporary English Version says “and the laws of nature.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.