Isaiah 40

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to
Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins
Are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all
Her sins. Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting: "Clear
The way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight
Highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys
And level the mountains and hills; straighten the curves and
Smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be
Revealed, and all people will see it together." The Lord has spoken
A voice said, "Shout!" I asked, "What should I shout?" "Shout that
People are like the grass; their beauty fades as quickly as the
Flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath
The breath of the Lord. And so it is with people: The grass withers
And the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."
O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem! Shout and do not be afraid. Tell the
Towns of Judah, "Your God is coming!" Yes, the Sovereign Lord is
Coming in power; he will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings
His reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a
Shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close
To his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young
The Lord has no equal. Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows
The weight of the earth, or has weighed the mountains and hills on
A scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows
Enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the Lord ever needed
Anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did
Someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice? No
For all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket; they
Are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the
Whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. All the wood
In Lebanon's forest and all Lebanon's animals would not be
Enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God. The
Nations of the world are worth nothing to him; in his eyes
They count for less than nothing, mere emptiness and froth
To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble
Him? Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with
Gold and decorated with silver chains? Or if people are too poor
For that, they might at least choose wood that won't decay and a
Skilled craftsman to carve an image that won't fall down. Haven'
T you heard? Don't you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God
The words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?
God sits above the circle of the earth; the people below seem like
Grasshoppers to him. He spreads out the heavens like a
Curtain and makes his tent from them. He judges the great
People of the world and brings them all to nothing. They
Hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them
And they wither; the wind carries them off like chaff. "
To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?" asks the Holy One
Look up into the heavens! Who created all the stars? He brings them
Out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single
One is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your
Troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you
Never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting
God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary; no
One can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to
The weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will
Become weak and tired, and young men will fail in exhaustion
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength
They will soar high on wings like eagles; they will
Run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint