The LORD's Comforting Words to Zion

401 " Comfort , O comfort My people ," says your God . 2 " Speak kindly to Jerusalem ; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended , That her iniquity has been removed , That she has received of the Lord'S hand Double for all her sins ."

3 A voice is 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 Then 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." Then he answered , "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass , and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field . 7 The grass withers , the flower fades , When 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 Lord GOD 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.

Israel's Incomparable God

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand , And marked off 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 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord , Or as His counselor e 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 the islands 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 and meaningless .

18 To whom then will you liken God ? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? 19 As for the idol , 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 To prepare an 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 who sits above the circle 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 earth meaningless . 24 Scarcely e have they been planted , Scarcely e have they been sown , Scarcely e 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 the strength 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 me escapes 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 e . 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 who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength ; They will mount up with wings like eagles , They will run and not get tired , They will walk and not become weary .