2
"2Speakkindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her 3warfare has ended, That her 4iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the LORD'Shand5Double for all her sins."
3
6A voice is calling, "7Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Makesmooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4
"Let everyvalley be lifted up, And everymountain and hill be madelow; And let the roughgroundbecome a plain, And the ruggedterrain a broadvalley;
5
Then the 8glory of the LORD will be revealed, And 9allflesh will see it together; For the 10mouth of the LORD has spoken."
6
A voicesays, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call out?" 11Allflesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7
The 12grasswithers, the flowerfades, When the 13breath of the LORDblows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
8
The grasswithers, the flowerfades, But 14the word of our Godstandsforever.
9
Get yourself up on a 15highmountain, O Zion, bearer of 16good news, Lift up your voicemightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the 17cities of Judah, "18Here is your God!"
10
Behold, the LordGOD will come19with might, With His 20armruling for Him. Behold, His 21reward is with Him And His recompensebefore Him.
11
Like a shepherd He will 22tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
12
Who has 23measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And markedoff the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?
13
24Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His 25counselor* has informed Him?
14
26With whom did He consult and who 27gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15
Behold, the 28nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of 29dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like finedust.
16
Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its 30beastsenough for a burntoffering.
17
31All the nations are as nothingbefore Him, They are regarded by Him as lessthannothing and meaningless.
18
32To whom then will you likenGod? Or whatlikeness will you compare with Him?
19
As for the 33idol, a craftsmancasts it, A goldsmith34plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20
He who is too impoverished for such an offeringSelects a 35tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillfulcraftsman To prepare an idol that 36will not totter.
21
37Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood38from the foundations of the earth?
22
It is He who sitsabove the 39circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like 40grasshoppers, Who 41stretches out the heavens like a 42curtain And spreads them out like a 43tent to dwell in.
23
He it is who reduces44rulers to nothing, Who 45makes the judges of the earthmeaningless.
24
Scarcely* have they been planted, Scarcely* have they been sown, Scarcely* has their stocktakenroot in the earth, But He merelyblows on them, and they wither, And the 46stormcarries them away like stubble.
25
"47To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?" says the HolyOne.
26
48Lift up your eyes on high And see49who has createdthese stars, The 50One who leadsforth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the 51greatness of His might and the strength of His power, 52Not one of them is missing.
27
53Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is 54hidden from the LORD, And the 55justice due me escapes the notice of 56my God "?
28
57Do you not know? Have you not heard? The 58EverlastingGod, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not becomeweary or tired. His understanding is 59inscrutable*.
29
He givesstrength to the 60weary, And to him who lacksmight He 61increasespower.
30
Though 62youthsgrowweary and tired, And vigorous63youngmenstumblebadly,
31
Yet those who wait for the LORD Will 64gainnewstrength; They will 65mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not gettired, They will walk and not becomeweary.