" aComfort, O comfort My people," says your God.
2" aSpeak 1kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her 2 bwarfare has ended, That her 3 ciniquity has been removed, That she has received of the LORD'S hand dDouble for all her sins."
3aA voice 1is calling, " bClear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4"Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
51Then the aglory of the LORD will be revealed, And ball flesh will see it together; For the cmouth of the LORD has spoken."
6A voice says, "Call out." Then 1he answered, "What shall I call out?" aAll flesh is grass, and all its 2loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7The agrass withers, the flower fades, 1When the bbreath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
8The grass withers, the flower fades, But athe word of our God stands forever.
9Get yourself up on a ahigh mountain, O Zion, bearer of bgood news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the ccities of Judah, " dHere is your God!"
10Behold, the Lord 1GOD will come awith might, With His barm ruling for Him. Behold, His creward is with Him And His recompense before Him.
11Like a shepherd He will atend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
12Who has ameasured the 1waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the 2span, And 3calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?
13aWho has 1directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His bcounselor has informed Him?
14aWith whom did He consult and who bgave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15Behold, the anations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of bdust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the 1islands like fine dust.
16Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its abeasts enough for a burnt offering.
17aAll the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and 1meaningless.
18aTo whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19As for the 1 aidol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith bplates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a atree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To 1prepare 2an idol that bwill not totter.
21aDo you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood bfrom the foundations of the earth?
22It is He who 1sits above the 2 acircle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like bgrasshoppers, Who cstretches out the heavens like a dcurtain And spreads them out like a etent to dwell in.
23He it is who reduces arulers to nothing, Who bmakes the judges of the earth 1meaningless.
241Scarcely have they been planted, 1Scarcely have they been sown, 1Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the astorm carries them away like stubble.
25" aTo whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.
26aLift up your eyes on high And see bwho has created these stars, The cOne who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the dgreatness of His might and the 1strength of His power, eNot one of them is missing.
27aWhy do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is bhidden from the LORD, And the cjustice due me 1escapes the notice of dmy God"?
28aDo you not know? Have you not heard? The bEverlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is cinscrutable.
29He gives strength to the aweary, And to him who lacks might He bincreases power.
30Though ayouths grow weary and tired, And vigorous byoung men stumble badly,
31Yet those who 1wait for the LORD Will again new strength; They will 2 bmount up with 3wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.