“The Lord hardened Pharaoh.

Thus he did not recognize him.

The result was

That his works might be known

Under heaven.

His mercy is manifest

To the whole of creation.

He divided

His light

And his darkness

With a plumb line.”

Sirach seems to say that the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh in order to show off his majesty. His great power was manifested in all his creation, including his mercy. The Lord has divided the world into light and darkness using a builder’s plumb line that measures things.