1. Our God has said:“Encourage my people!Give them comfort.
2. Speak kindly to Jerusalemand announce:Your slavery is past;your punishment is over.I, the Lord, made you paydouble for your sins.”
3. Someone is shouting:“Clear a path in the desert!Make a straight roadfor the Lord our God.
4. Fill in the valleys;flatten every hilland mountain.Level the roughand rugged ground.
5. Then the glory of the Lordwill appear for all to see.The Lord has promised this!”
6. Someone told me to shout,and I asked,“What should I shout?”We humans are merely grass,and we last no longerthan wild flowers.
7. At the Lord's command,flowers and grass disappear,and so do we.
8. Flowers and grass fade away,but what our God has saidwill never change.
9. There is good newsfor the city of Zion.Shout it as loud as you canfrom the highest mountain.Don't be afraid to shoutto the towns of Judah,“Your God is here!”
10. Look! The powerful Lord Godis coming to rulewith his mighty arm.He brings with himwhat he has taken in war,and he rewards his people.
11. The Lord cares for his nation,just as shepherds carefor their flocks.He carries the lambsin his arms,while gently leadingthe mother sheep.
12. Did any of you measurethe ocean by yourselfor stretch out the skywith your own hands?Did you put the soilof the earth in a bucketor weigh the hills and mountainson balance scales?
13. Has anyone told the Lordwhat he must door given him advice?
14. Did the Lord ask anyoneto teach him wisdomand justice?Who gave him knowledgeand understanding?
15. To the Lord, all nationsare merely a drop in a bucketor dust on balance scales;all the islandsare but a handful of sand.
16. The cattleon Lebanon's mountainswould not be enough to offeras a sacrifice to God,and the trees would notbe enough for the fire.
17. God thinks of the nationsas far less than nothing.
18. Who compares with God?Is anything like him?
19. Is an idol at all like God?It is made of bronzewith a thin layer of gold,and decorated with silver.
20. Or special wood may be chosenbecause it doesn't rot—then skilled handstake care to make an idolthat won't fall on its face.
21. Don't you know?Haven't you heard?Isn't it clear that Godcreated the world?
22. God is the one who rulesthe whole earth,and we who live hereare merely insects.He spread out the heavenslike a curtain or an open tent.
23. God brings down rulersand turns them into nothing.
24. They are like flowersfreshly sprung upand starting to grow.But when God blows on them,they wilt and are carried offlike straw in a storm.
25. The holy God asks,“Who compares with me?Is anyone my equal?”
26. Look at the evening sky!Who created the stars?Who gave them each a name?Who leads them like an army?The Lord is so powerfulthat none of the starsare ever missing.
27. You people of Israel, say,“God pays no attention to us!He doesn't care if weare treated unjustly.”But how can you say that?
28. Don't you know?Haven't you heard?The Lord is the eternal God,Creator of the earth.He never gets weary or tired;his wisdom cannot be measured.
29. The Lord gives strengthto those who are weary.
30. Even young people get tired,then stumble and fall.
31. But those who trust the Lordwill find new strength.They will be strong like eaglessoaring upward on wings;they will walk and runwithout getting tired.