40“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.H5162H5162H5971H559H430 2“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.”H1696H3820H3389H7121H6635H4390H5771H7521H3947H3068H3027H3718H2403 3Listen! 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!H6963H7121H4057H6437H1870H3068H3474H6160H4546H430 4Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.H1516H5375H2022H1389H8213H6121H4334H7406H1237 5Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”H3519H3068H1540H1320H7200H3162H6310H3068H1696 6A 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.H6963H559H7121H559H7121H1320H2682H2617H6731H7704 7The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people.H2682H3001H6731H5034H7307H3068H5380H403H5971H2682 8The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”H2682H3001H6731H5034H1697H430H6965H5769 9O 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!”H6726H1319H5927H1364H2022H3389H1319H7311H6963H3581H7311H3372H559H5892H3063H430 10Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.H136H3069H935H2389H2220H4910H7939H6468H6440 11He 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.H7462H5739H7462H6908H2922H2220H5375H2436H5095H5763 12Who 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?H4058H4325H8168H8505H8064H2239H3557H6083H776H7991H8254H2022H6425H1389H3976 13Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?H8505H7307H3068H376H6098H3045 14Has 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?H3289H995H3925H734H4941H3925H1847H3045H1870H8394 15No, 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.H1471H4752H1805H2803H7834H3976H5190H339H1851 16All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.H3844H369H1767H1197H2416H1767H5930 17The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing—mere emptiness and froth.H1471H2803H657H8414 18To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble him?H1819H410H1823H6186 19Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?H2796H5258H6459H6884H7554H2091H6884H3701H7577 20Or 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!H5533H5534H8641H977H6086H7537H1245H2450H2796H3559H6459H4131 21Haven’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?H3045H8085H5046H7218H995H4146H776 22God 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.H3427H2329H776H3427H2284H5186H8064H1852H4969H168H3427 23He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.H5414H7336H6213H8199H776H8414 24They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff.H5193H2232H1503H8327H776H5398H3001H5591H5375H7179 25“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.H1819H7737H559H6918 26Look 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.H5375H5869H4791H7200H1254H3318H6635H4557H7121H8034H7230H202H533H3581H376H5737 27O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?H559H3290H1696H3478H1870H5641H3068H4941H5674H430 28Have 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.H3045H8085H5769H430H3068H1254H7098H776H3286H3021H2714H8394 29He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.H5414H3581H3287H202H7235H6109 30Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.H5288H3286H3021H970H3782H3782 31But 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.H6960H3068H2498H3581H5927H83H5404H7323H3021H3212H3286
41“Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.H2790H339H3816H2498H3581H5066H1696H7126H3162H49412“Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.H5782H6664H4217H7121H7272H5414H1471H6440H7287H4428H5414H6083H2719H5086H7179H71983He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.H7291H5674H7965H734H935H72724Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”H6466H6213H7121H1755H7218H3068H7223H3145The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.H339H7200H3372H7098H776H2729H7126H8576The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, “Be strong!”H5826H376H7453H559H251H23887The carver encourages the goldsmith, and the molder helps at the anvil. “Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.” Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.H2796H2388H6884H2505H6360H1986H6471H559H2896H1694H2388H4548H41318“But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,H3478H5650H3290H977H2233H85H1579I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.H2388H7098H776H7121H678H559H5650H977H398810Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.H3372H8159H430H553H5826H8551H3225H666411“See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing.H2734H954H3637H582H7379H612You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you. Those who attack you will come to nothing.H1245H4672H582H4695H4421H65713For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.H3068H430H2388H3225H559H3372H582614Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’H3372H8438H3290H4962H3478H5826H5002H3068H1350H6918H347815You will be a new threshing instrument with many sharp teeth. You will tear your enemies apart, making chaff of mountains.H7760H2319H2742H4173H1167H6374H1758H2022H1854H7760H1389H467116You will toss them into the air, and the wind will blow them all away; a whirlwind will scatter them. Then you will rejoice in the Lord. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.H2219H7307H5375H5591H6327H1523H3068H1984H6918H347817“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.H6041H34H1245H4325H3956H5405H6772H3068H6030H430H3478H580018I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.H6605H5104H8205H4599H8432H1237H7760H4057H98H4325H6723H776H4161H432519I will plant trees in the barren desert—cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.H5414H4057H730H7848H1918H8081H6086H7760H6160H1265H8410H8391H316220I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means—that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.H7200H3045H7760H7919H3162H3027H3068H6213H6918H3478H125421“Present the case for your idols,” says the Lord. “Let them show what they can do,” says the King of Israel.H7126H7379H559H3068H5066H6110H559H4428H329022“Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence. Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what’s going to happen.H5066H5046H7136H5046H7223H7760H3820H3045H319H8085H93523Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods. In fact, do anything—good or bad! Do something that will amaze and frighten us.H5046H857H268H3045H430H3190H7489H8159H7200H316224But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves.H369H6467H659H8441H97725“But I have stirred up a leader who will come from the north. I have called him by name from the east. I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.H5782H6828H857H4217H8121H7121H8034H935H5461H2563H3335H7429H291626“Who told you from the beginning that this would happen? Who predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one said a word!H5046H7218H3045H6440H559H6662H5046H8085H8085H56127I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.H7223H6726H2009H2009H5414H3389H131928Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked.H7200H376H3289H7592H7725H169729See, they are all foolish, worthless things. All your idols are as empty as the wind.H205H4639H657H5262H7307H8414
42“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.H5650H8551H972H5315H7521H5414H7307H3318H4941H1471 2He will not shout or raise his voice in public.H6817H5375H6963H8085H2351 3He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.H7533H7070H7665H3544H6594H3518H3318H4941H571 4He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”H3543H7533H7760H4941H776H339H3176H8451 5God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says,H559H410H3068H1254H8064H5186H7554H776H6631H5414H5397H5971H7307H1980 6“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.H3068H7121H6664H2388H3027H5341H5414H1285H5971H216H1471 7You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.H6491H5787H5869H3318H616H4525H3427H2822H3608H1004 8“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.H3068H8034H3519H5414H312H8416H6456 9Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”H7223H935H2319H5046H6779H8085 10Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands.H7891H3068H2319H7892H8416H7097H776H3381H3220H4393H339H3427 11Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops!H4057H5892H5375H2691H6938H3427H3427H5553H7442H6681H7218H2022 12Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing his praise.H7760H3519H3068H5046H8416H339 13The Lord will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.H3068H3318H1368H5782H7068H376H4421H7321H6873H1396H341 14He will say, “I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained myself. But now, like a woman in labor, I will cry and groan and pant.H5769H2814H2790H662H6463H3205H5395H8074H7602H3162 15I will level the mountains and hills and blight all their greenery. I will turn the rivers into dry land and will dry up all the pools.H2717H2022H1389H3001H6212H7760H5104H339H3001H98 16I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.H3212H5787H1870H3045H1869H5410H3045H7760H4285H216H6440H4625H4334H1697H6213H5800 17But those who trust in idols, who say, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame.H5472H268H1322H954H982H6459H559H4541H430 18“Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind!H8085H2795H5027H5787H7200 19Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the Lord?H5787H5650H2795H4397H7971H5787H7999H5787H3068H5650 20You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”H7200H7200H7227H8104H6491H241H8085 21Because he is righteous, the Lord has exalted his glorious law.H3068H2654H6664H1431H8451H142 22But his own people have been robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for anyone and have no one to protect them, no one to take them back home.H5971H962H8154H6351H2352H970H2244H3608H1004H957H5337H4933H559H7725 23Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?H238H7181H8085H268 24Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the Lord, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law.H5414H3290H4933H4882H3478H962H3068H2098H2398H14H1980H1870H8085H8451 25Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand. They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson.H8210H2534H639H5807H4421H3857H5439H3045H1197H7760H3820
43But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.H559H3068H1254H3290H3335H3478H3372H1350H7121H8034 2When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.H5674H4325H5104H7857H3212H1119H784H3554H3852H1197 3For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.H3068H430H6918H3478H3467H5414H4714H3724H3568H5434 4Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.H3365H5869H3513H157H5414H120H3816H5315 5“Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west.H3372H935H2233H4217H6908H4628 6I will say to the north and south, ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth.H559H6828H5414H8486H3607H935H1121H7350H1323H7097H776 7Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.’”H3605H7121H8034H1254H3519H3335H6213 8Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.H3318H5787H5971H3426H5869H2795H241 9Gather the nations together! Assemble the peoples of the world! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Which can predict what will happen tomorrow? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth?H1471H6908H3162H3816H622H5046H8085H7223H5414H5707H6663H8085H559H571 10“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.H5707H5002H3068H5650H977H3045H539H995H6440H410H3335H310 11I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.H3068H1107H3467 12First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord.H5046H3467H8085H2114H5707H5002H3068H410 13“From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”H3117H5337H3027H6466H7725 14This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon, forcing the Babylonians to flee in those ships they are so proud of.H559H3068H1350H6918H3478H7971H894H3381H1281H3778H7440H591 15I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King.H3068H6918H1254H3478H4428 16I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.H559H3068H5414H1870H3220H5410H5794H4325 17I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.H3318H7393H5483H2428H5808H7901H3162H6965H1846H3518H6594 18“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.H2142H7223H995H6931 19For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.H6213H2319H6779H3045H7760H1870H4057H5104H3452 20The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.H2416H7704H3513H8577H1323H3284H5414H4325H4057H5104H3452H8248H5971H972 21I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world.H2098H5971H3335H5608H8416 22“But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel!H7121H3290H3021H3478 23You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.H935H7716H5930H3513H2077H5647H4503H3021H3828 24You have not brought me fragrant calamus or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults.H7069H7070H3701H7301H2459H2077H5647H2403H3021H5771 25“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.H4229H6588H2142H2403 26Let us review the situation together, and you can present your case to prove your innocence.H2142H8199H3162H5608H6663 27From the very beginning, your first ancestor sinned against me; all your leaders broke my laws.H7223H1H2398H3887H6586 28That is why I have disgraced your priests; I have decreed complete destruction for Jacob and shame for Israel.H2490H8269H6944H5414H3290H2764H3478H1421
Dublin, OH
H3519
