Study Desk

"^(a)Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God.

"^(b)Speak ^[a]kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her ^[b](c)warfare has ended, That her ^[c](d)iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the Lord's hand ^(e)Double for all her sins."

^(f)A voice ^[d]is calling, "^(g)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

"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;

^[e]Then the ^(h)glory of the Lord will be revealed, And ⁽ⁱ⁾all flesh will see it together; For the ^(j)mouth of the Lord has spoken."

A voice says, "Call out." Then ^[f]he answered, "What shall I call out?" ^(k)All flesh is grass, and all its ^[g]loveliness is like the flower of the field.

The ^(l)grass withers, the flower fades, ^[h]When the ^(m)breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.

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

Get yourself up on a ^(o)high mountain, O Zion, bearer of ^(p)good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the ^(q)cities of Judah, "^(r)Here is your God!"

Behold, the Lord ^[i] God will come ^(s)with might, With His ^(t)arm ruling for Him. Behold, His ^(u)reward is with Him And His recompense before Him.

Like a shepherd He will ^(v)tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

Who has ^(w)measured the ^[j]waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the ^[k]span, And ^[l]calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

^(x)Who has ^[m]directed the Spirit of the Lord , Or as His ^(y)counselor has informed Him?

^(z)With whom did He consult and who ^(aa)gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding?

Behold, the ^(ab)nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of ^(ac)dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the ^[n]islands like fine dust.

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

^(ae)All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and ^[o]meaningless.

^(af)To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

As for the ^[p](ag)idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith ^(ah)plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.

He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a ^(ai)tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To ^[q]prepare ^[r]an idol that ^(aj)will not totter.

^(ak)Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood ^(al)from the foundations of the earth?

It is He who ^[s]sits above the ^[t](am)circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like ^(an)grasshoppers, Who ^(ao)stretches out the heavens like a ^(ap)curtain And spreads them out like a ^(aq)tent to dwell in.

He it is who reduces ^(ar)rulers to nothing, Who ^(as)makes the judges of the earth ^[u]meaningless.

^[v]Scarcely have they been planted, ^[w]Scarcely have they been sown, ^[x]Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the ^(at)storm carries them away like stubble.

"^(au)To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.

^(av)Lift up your eyes on high And see ^(aw)who has created these stars, The ^(ax)One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the ^(ay)greatness of His might and the ^[y]strength of His power, ^(az)Not one of them is missing.

^(ba)Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is ^(bb)hidden from the Lord , And the ^(bc)justice due me ^[z]escapes the notice of ^(bd)my God"?

^(be)Do you not know? Have you not heard? The ^(bf)Everlasting God, the Lord , the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is ^(bg)inscrutable.

He gives strength to the ^(bh)weary, And to him who lacks might He ^(bi)increases power.

Though ^(bj)youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous ^(bk)young men stumble badly,

Yet those who ^[aa]wait for the Lord Will ^(bl)gain new strength; They will ^[ab](bm)mount up with ^[ac]wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.