^{1 Ref} Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.

^{2 Ref} Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, That her warfare hath been completed, That accepted hath been her punishment, That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins.

^{3 Ref} A voice is crying -- in a wilderness -- Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.

^{4 Ref} Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place hath become a plain, And the entangled places a valley.

^{5 Ref} And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen `it' have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.

^{6 Ref} A voice is saying, `Call,' And he said, `What do I call?' All flesh `is' grass, and all its goodliness `is' As a flower of the field:

^{7 Ref} Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people `is' grass;

^{8 Ref} Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever.

^{9 Ref} On a high mountain get thee up, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up with power thy voice, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, fear not, say to cities of Judah, `Lo, your God.'

^{10 Ref} Lo, the Lord Jehovah with strength cometh, And His arm is ruling for Him, Lo, His hire `is' with Him, and His wage before Him.

^{11 Ref} As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth `them': Suckling ones He leadeth.

^{12 Ref} Who hath measured in the hollow of his hand the waters? And the heavens by a span hath meted out, And comprehended in a measure the dust of the earth, And hath weighed in scales the mountains, And the hills in a balance?

^{13 Ref} Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, `being' His counsellor, doth teach Him!

^{14 Ref} With whom consulted He, That he causeth Him to understand? And teacheth Him in the path of judgment, And teacheth Him knowledge? And the way of understanding causeth Him to know?

^{15 Ref} Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

^{16 Ref} And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

^{17 Ref} All the nations `are' as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

^{18 Ref} And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?

^{19 Ref} The graven image poured out hath a artizan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.

^{20 Ref} He who is poor `by' heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artizan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image -- not moved.

^{21 Ref} Do ye not know -- do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood `From' the foundations of the earth?

^{22 Ref} He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants `are' as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.

^{23 Ref} He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

^{24 Ref} Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away.

^{25 Ref} And unto whom do ye liken Me, And `am' I equal? saith the Holy One.

^{26 Ref} Lift up on high your eyes, And see -- who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And `he is' strong in power) not one is lacking.

^{27 Ref} Why sayest thou, O Jacob? and speakest thou, O Israel? `My way hath been hid from Jehovah, And from my God my judgment passeth over.'

^{28 Ref} Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age -- Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.

^{29 Ref} He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might.

^{30 Ref} Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

^{31 Ref} But those expecting Jehovah pass `to' power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!

^{1 Ref} Give comfort, give comfort, to my people, says your God.

^{2 Ref} Say kind words to the heart of Jerusalem, crying out to her that her time of trouble is ended, that her punishment is complete; that she has been rewarded by the Lord's hand twice over for all her sins.

^{3 Ref} A voice of one crying, Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God.

^{4 Ref} Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough places become level, and the hilltops become a valley,

^{5 Ref} And the glory of the Lord will be made clear, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has said it.

^{6 Ref} A voice of one saying, Give a cry! And I said, What is my cry to be? All flesh is grass, and all its strength like the flower of the field.

^{7 Ref} The grass becomes dry, the flower is dead; because the breath of the Lord goes over it: truly the people is grass.

^{8 Ref} The grass is dry, the flower is dead; but the word of our God is eternal.

^{9 Ref} You who give good news to Zion, get up into the high mountain; you who give good news to Jerusalem, let your voice be strong; let it be sounding without fear; say to the towns of Judah, See, your God!

^{10 Ref} See, the Lord God will come as a strong one, ruling in power: see, those made free by him are with him, and those whom he has made safe go before him.

^{11 Ref} He will give food to his flock like a keeper of sheep; with his arm he will get it together, and will take up the lambs on his breast, gently guiding those which are with young.

^{12 Ref} In the hollow of whose hand have the waters been measured? and who is able to take the heavens in his stretched-out fingers? who has got together the dust of the earth in a measure? who has taken the weight of the mountains, or put the hills into the scales?

^{13 Ref} By whom has the spirit of the Lord been guided, or who has been his teacher?

^{14 Ref} Who gave him suggestions, and made clear to him the right way? who gave him knowledge, guiding him in the way of wisdom?

^{15 Ref} See, the nations are to him like a drop hanging from a bucket, and like the small dust in the scales: he takes up the islands like small dust.

^{16 Ref} And Lebanon is not enough to make a fire with, or all its cattle enough for a burned offering.

^{17 Ref} All the nations are as nothing before him; even less than nothing, a thing of no value.

^{18 Ref} Whom then is God like, in your opinion? or what will you put forward as a comparison with him?

^{19 Ref} The workman makes an image, and the gold-worker puts gold plates over it, and makes silver bands for it.

^{20 Ref} The wise workman makes selection of the mulberry-tree of the offering, a wood which will not become soft; so that the image may be fixed to it and not be moved.

^{21 Ref} Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? has not news of it been given to you from the first? has it not been clear to you from the time when the earth was placed on its base?

^{22 Ref} It is he who is seated over the arch of the earth, and the people in it are as small as locusts; by him the heavens are stretched out like an arch, and made ready like a tent for a living-place.

^{23 Ref} He makes rulers come to nothing; the judges of the earth are of no value.

^{24 Ref} They have only now been planted, and their seed put into the earth, and they have only now taken root, when he sends out his breath over them and they become dry, and the storm-wind takes them away like dry grass.

^{25 Ref} Who then seems to you to be my equal? says the Holy One.

^{26 Ref} Let your eyes be lifted up on high, and see: who has made these? He who sends out their numbered army: who has knowledge of all their names: by whose great strength, because he is strong in power, all of them are in their places.

^{27 Ref} Why do you say, O Jacob, such words as these, O Israel, The Lord's eyes are not on my way, and my God gives no attention to my cause?

^{28 Ref} Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? The eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom.

^{29 Ref} He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.

^{30 Ref} Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength;

^{31 Ref} But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.