1 ¶ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

“ Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

2 S peak ye according to the heart of Jerusalem and cry unto her that her time is now fulfilled that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

“ 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 ¶ The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

A voice is calling, “ Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

4 E very valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places made plain:

“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 A nd the glory of the LORD shall be manifested, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.

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 T he voice that said, Cry. And I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the mercy thereof is as the open flower of the field:

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 T he grass withers, the flower fades because the spirit of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people is grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.

8 T he grass withers, the open flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

9 ¶ O Zion, that brings good tidings, go up into the high mountain; lift up thy voice with strength O bearer of good tidings of Jerusalem; lift it up, do not be afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

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 B ehold, the Lord GOD will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

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 H e shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that are with young.

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 the waters in the hollow of his hand and prepared the heavens with his palm and with three fingers measured the dust of the earth and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills with weights?

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 W ho has directed the Spirit of the LORD or being his counsellor has taught him?

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has informed Him?

14 W ith whom took he counsel, and who instructed him? Who taught him in the path of judgment and taught him knowledge and showed unto him the way of intelligence?

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 B ehold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he causes the isles to disappear as dust.

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 A nd all Lebanon is not sufficient for the fire, nor all the beasts thereof sufficient for the sacrifice.

Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

17 A ll the Gentiles are as nothing before him, and they are counted to him as vanity and as less than nothing.

All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

18 ¶ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

19 T he workman prepares the graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold and casts silver chains.

As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.

20 H e that is so impoverished that he has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto himself a cunning workman to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved.

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 H ave ye not known? Have ye not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not been taught since the land was founded?

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 H e is seated upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; he stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:

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 H e brings the powerful to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as if they had never been,

He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

24 A s if they had never been planted, as if they had never been sown, as if their stock had never taken root in the earth; even blowing upon them, they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.

Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely 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 T o whom then will ye liken me, or what shall ye compare me to? saith the Holy One.

“ To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.

26 L ift up your eyes on high and behold who has created these things; he brings out his host by number; he calls them all by their names; none shall be lacking by the greatness of his might and by the strength of his power.

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 sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest thou, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

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 H ast thou not known? Hast thou not heard that the God of the age is the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He does not faint, nor is he weary; and there is no one that can attain to his intelligence.

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 H e gives power to the faint; and to those that have no might he increases strength.

He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.

30 T he young men faint and are weary; the children stumble and fall;

Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,

31 b ut those that wait for the LORD shall have new strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

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.