To The Word – Day 102

₁“Comfort my people,” says our God. “Comfort them!

₂Encourage the people of Jerusalem.

Tell them they have suffered long enough

and their sins are now forgiven.

I have punished them in full for all their sins.”

₃A voice cries out,

“Prepare in the wilderness a road for the LORD!

Clear the way in the desert for our God!

₄Fill every valley;

level every mountain.

The hills will become a plain,

and the rough country will be made smooth.

₅Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

and the whole human race will see it.

The LORD himself has promised this.”

₆A voice cries out, “Proclaim a message!”

“What message shall I proclaim?” I ask.

“Proclaim that all human beings are like grass;

they last no longer than wild flowers.

₇Grass withers and flowers fade,

when the LORD sends the wind blowing over them.

People are no more enduring than grass.

₈Yes, grass withers and flowers fade,

but the word of our God endures for ever.”

₉Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain

and proclaim the good news!

Call out with a loud voice, Zion;

announce the good news!

Speak out and do not be afraid.

Tell the towns of Judah

that their God is coming!

₁₀The Sovereign LORD is coming to rule with power,

bringing with him the people he has rescued.

₁₁He will take care of his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs together

and carry them in his arms;

he will gently lead their mothers.

₁₂Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls

or measure the sky with his hands?

Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup

or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?

₁₃Can anyone tell the LORD what to do?

Who can teach him or give him advice?

₁₄With whom does God consult

in order to know and understand

and to learn how things should be done?

₁₅To the LORD the nations are nothing,

no more than a drop of water;

the distant islands are as light as dust.

₁₆All the animals in the forests of Lebanon

are not enough for a sacrifice to our God,

and its trees are too few to kindle the fire.

₁₇The nations are nothing at all to him.

₁₈To whom can God be compared?

How can you describe what he is like?

₁₉He is not like an idol that workmen make,

that metalworkers cover with gold

and set in a base of silver.

₂₀The man who cannot afford silver or gold

chooses wood that will not rot.

He finds a skilful craftsman

to make an image that won't fall down.

₂₁Do you not know?

Were you not told long ago?

Have you not heard how the world began?

₂₂It was made by the one who sits on his throne

above the earth and beyond the sky;

the people below look as tiny as ants.

He stretched out the sky like a curtain,

like a tent in which to live.

₂₃He brings down powerful rulers

and reduces them to nothing.

₂₄They are like young plants,

just set out and barely rooted.

When the LORD sends a wind,

they dry up and blow away like straw.

₂₅To whom can the holy God be compared?

Is there anyone else like him?

₂₆Look up at the sky!

Who created the stars you see?

The one who leads them out like an army,

he knows how many there are

and calls each one by name!

His power is so great —

not one of them is ever missing!

₂₇Israel, why then do you complain

that the LORD doesn't know your troubles

or care if you suffer injustice?

₂₈Don't you know? Haven't you heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God;

he created all the world.

He never grows tired or weary.

No one understands his thoughts.

₂₉He strengthens those who are weak and tired.

₃₀Even those who are young grow weak;

young people can fall exhausted.

₃₁But those who trust in the LORD for help

will find their strength renewed.

They will rise on wings like eagles;

they will run and not get weary;

they will walk and not grow weak.

“Be silent and listen to me, you distant lands!

Get ready to present your case in court;

you will have your chance to speak.

Let us come together to decide who is right.

₂“Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east,

and makes him triumphant wherever he goes?

Who gives him victory over kings and nations?

His sword strikes them down as if they were dust.

His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind.

₃He follows in pursuit and marches safely on,

so fast that he hardly touches the ground!

₄Who was it that made this happen?

Who has determined the course of history?

I, the LORD, was there at the beginning,

and I, the LORD, will be there at the end.

₅“The people of distant lands have seen what I have done;

they are frightened and tremble with fear.

So they all assemble and come.

₆The craftsmen help and encourage one another.

₇The carpenter says to the goldsmith, ‘Well done!’

The man who beats the idol smooth

encourages the one who nails it together.

They say, ‘The soldering is good’ —

and they fasten the idol in place with nails.

₈“But you, Israel my servant,

you are the people that I have chosen,

the descendants of Abraham, my friend.

₉I brought you from the ends of the earth;

I called you from its farthest corners

and said to you, ‘You are my servant.’

I did not reject you, but chose you.

₁₀Do not be afraid — I am with you!

I am your God — let nothing terrify you!

I will make you strong and help you;

I will protect you and save you.

₁₁“Those who are angry with you

will know the shame of defeat.

Those who fight against you will die

₁₂and will disappear from the earth.

₁₃I am the LORD your God;

I strengthen you and say,

‘Do not be afraid; I will help you.’ ”

“Small and weak as you are, Israel,

don't be afraid; I will help you.

I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.

₁₅I will make you like a threshing board,

with spikes that are new and sharp.

You will thresh mountains and destroy them;

hills will crumble into dust.

₁₆You will toss them in the air;

the wind will carry them off,

and they will be scattered by the storm.

Then you will be happy because I am your God;

you will praise me, the holy God of Israel.

₁₇“When my people in their need look for water,

when their throats are dry with thirst,

then I, the LORD, will answer their prayer;

I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.

₁₈I will make rivers flow among barren hills

and springs of water run in the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water

and the dry land into flowing springs.

₁₉I will make cedars grow in the desert,

and acacias and myrtles and olive trees.

Forests will grow in barren land,

forests of pine and juniper and cypress.

₂₀People will see this and know

that I, the LORD, have done it.

They will come to understand

that Israel's holy God has made it happen.”

“You gods of the nations, present your case.

Bring the best arguments you have!

₂₂Come here and predict what will happen,

so that we will know it when it takes place.

Explain to the court the events of the past,

and tell us what they mean.

₂₃Tell us what the future holds —

then we will know that you are gods!

Do something good or bring some disaster;

fill us with fear and awe!

₂₄You and all you do are nothing;

those who worship you are disgusting!

₂₅“I have chosen a man who lives in the east;

I will bring him to attack from the north.

He tramples on rulers as if they were mud,

like a potter trampling clay.

₂₆Which of you predicted that this would happen,

so that we could say that you were right?

None of you said a word about it;

no one heard you say a thing!

₂₇I, the LORD, was the first to tell Zion the news;

I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say,

‘Your people are coming! They are coming home!’

₂₈When I looked among the gods,

none of them had a thing to say;

not one could answer the questions I asked.

₂₉All these gods are useless;

they can do nothing at all —

these idols are weak and powerless.”

“Here is my servant, whom I strengthen —

the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased.

I have filled him with my Spirit,

and he will bring justice to every nation.

₂He will not shout or raise his voice

or make loud speeches in the streets.

₃He will not break off a bent reed

or put out a flickering lamp.

He will bring lasting justice to all.

₄He will not lose hope or courage;

he will establish justice on the earth.

Distant lands eagerly wait for his teaching.”

₅God created the heavens and stretched them out;

he fashioned the earth and all that lives there;

he gave life and breath to all its people.

And now the LORD God says to his servant,

₆“I, the LORD, have called you and given you power

to see that justice is done on earth.

Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples;

through you I will bring light to the nations.

₇You will open the eyes of the blind

and set free those who sit in dark prisons.

₈“I alone am the LORD your God.

No other god may share my glory;

I will not let idols share my praise.

₉The things I predicted have now come true.

Now I will tell you of new things

even before they begin to happen.”

₁₀Sing a new song to the LORD;

sing his praise, all the world!

Praise him, you that sail the sea;

praise him, all creatures of the sea!

Sing, distant lands and all who live there!

₁₁Let the desert and its towns praise God;

let the people of Kedar praise him!

Let those who live in the city of Sela

shout for joy from the tops of the mountains!

₁₂Let those who live in distant lands

give praise and glory to the LORD!

₁₃The LORD goes out to fight like a warrior;

he is ready and eager for battle.

He gives a war cry, a battle shout;

he shows his power against his enemies.

“For a long time I kept silent;

I did not answer my people.

But now the time to act has come;

I cry out like a woman in labour.

₁₅I will destroy the hills and mountains

and dry up the grass and trees.

I will turn the river valleys into deserts

and dry up the pools of water.

₁₆“I will lead my blind people

by roads they have never travelled.

I will turn their darkness into light

and make rough country smooth before them.

These are my promises,

and I will keep them without fail.

₁₇All who trust in idols,

who call images their gods,

will be humiliated and disgraced.”

“Listen, you deaf people!

Look closely, you that are blind!

₁₉Is anyone more blind than my servant,

more deaf than the messenger I send?

₂₀Israel, you have seen so much,

but what has it meant to you?

You have ears to hear with,

but what have you really heard?”

₂₁The LORD is a God who is eager to save,

so he exalted his laws and teachings,

and he wanted his people to honour them.

₂₂But now his people have been plundered;

they are locked up in dungeons

and hidden away in prisons.

They were robbed and plundered,

with no one to come to their rescue.

₂₃Will any of you listen to this?

From now on will you listen with care?

₂₄Who gave Israel up to the looters?

It was the LORD himself, against whom we sinned!

We would not live as he wanted us to live

or obey the teachings he gave us.

₂₅So he made us feel the force of his anger

and suffer the violence of war.

Like fire his anger burned throughout Israel,

but we never knew what was happening;

we learnt from it nothing at all.

“Do not be afraid — I will save you.

I have called you by name — you are mine.

₂When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;

your troubles will not overwhelm you.

When you pass through fire, you will not be burnt;

the hard trials that come will not hurt you.

₃For I am the LORD your God,

the holy God of Israel, who saves you.

I will give up Egypt to set you free;

I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.

₄I will give up whole nations to save your life,

because you are precious to me

and because I love you and give you honour.

₅Do not be afraid — I am with you!

“From the distant east and the farthest west,

I will bring your people home.

₆I will tell the north to let them go

and the south not to hold them back.

Let my people return from distant lands,

from every part of the world.

₇They are my own people,

and I created them to bring me glory.”

“Summon my people to court.

They have eyes, but they are blind;

they have ears, but they are deaf!

₉Summon the nations to come to the trial.

Which of their gods can predict the future?

Which of them foretold what is happening now?

Let these gods bring in their witnesses

to prove that they are right,

to testify to the truth of their words.

₁₀“People of Israel, you are my witnesses;

I chose you to be my servant,

so that you would know me and believe in me

and understand that I am the only God.

Besides me there is no other god;

there never was and never will be.

₁₁“I alone am the LORD,

the only one who can save you.

₁₂I predicted what would happen,

and then I came to your aid.

No foreign god has ever done this;

you are my witnesses.

₁₃I am God and always will be.

No one can escape from my power;

no one can change what I do.”

“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;

I will break down the city gates,

and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.

₁₅I am the LORD, your holy God.

I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”

₁₆Long ago the LORD made a road through the sea,

a path through the swirling waters.

₁₇He led a mighty army to destruction,

an army of chariots and horses.

Down they fell, never to rise,

snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!

“Do not cling to events of the past

or dwell on what happened long ago.

₁₉Watch for the new thing I am going to do.

It is happening already — you can see it now!

I will make a road through the wilderness

and give you streams of water there.

₂₀Even the wild animals will honour me;

jackals and ostriches will praise me

when I make rivers flow in the desert

to give water to my chosen people.

₂₁They are the people I made for myself,

and they will sing my praises!”

“But you were tired of me, Israel;

you did not worship me.

₂₃You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;

you did not honour me with your sacrifices.

I did not burden you by demanding offerings

or wear you out by asking for incense.

₂₄You didn't buy incense for me

or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.

Instead you burdened me with your sins;

you wore me out with the wrongs you committed.

₂₅And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,

and I do this because of who I am.

I will not hold your sins against you.

₂₆“Let us go to court; bring your accusation!

Present your case to prove you are in the right!

₂₇Your earliest ancestor sinned;

your leaders sinned against me,

₂₈and your rulers profaned my sanctuary.

So I brought destruction on Israel;

I let my own people be insulted.”