2 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
“Speaka Lit to the heart ofkindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that herb Or hard servicewarfare has ended,
That herc Or penalty of iniquity accepted as paid offiniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the LORD’S hand
Double for all her sins.” | |
3 A voiced Or of one calling outis calling,
“Clear 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; | |
5 e Or In order that theThen the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” | |
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Thenf Another reading is I saidhe answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all itsg Or constancyloveliness is like the flower of the field. | |
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
h Or BecauseWhen the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass. | |
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever. | |
9 Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!” | |
10 Behold, the Lordi Heb YHWH, usually rendered LordGOD will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him. | |
11 Like a shepherd He will tend 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 measured thej DSS reads waters of the seawaters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by thek Or half cubit; i.e. 9 in.span,
Andl Lit contained or comprehendedcalculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales? | |
13 Who hasm Or measured, marked offdirected the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has informed Him? | |
14 With whom did He consult and who gave 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 nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up then Or coastlandsislands like fine dust. | |
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. | |
17 All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing ando Or voidmeaningless. | |
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him? | |
19 As for thep Or graven imageidol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. | |
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
Toq Or set uppreparer Or a graven imagean idol that will not totter. | |
21 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? | |
22 It is He whos Or is enthronedsits above thet Or vaultcircle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. | |
23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earthu Or voidmeaningless. | |
24 v Or Not evenScarcely have they been planted,
w Or Not evenScarcely have they been sown,
x Or Not evenScarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble. | |
25 “To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. | |
26 Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and they So DSS and ancient versions; M.T. strongstrength of His power,
Not one of them is missing. | |
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
And the justice due mez Lit passes by my Godescapes the notice of my God”? | |
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable. | |
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power. | |
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly, | |
31 Yet those whoaa Or hope inwait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They willab Or sprout wingsmount up withac Or pinionswings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. | |
