Through the Bible – Day 282

₁Our God has said:

“Encourage my people!

Give them comfort.

₂Speak kindly to Jerusalem

and announce:

Your slavery is past;

your punishment is over.

I, the LORD, made you pay

double for your sins.”

₃Someone is shouting:

“Clear a path in the desert!

Make a straight road

for the LORD our God.

₄Fill in the valleys;

flatten every hill

and mountain.

Level the rough

and rugged ground.

₅Then the glory of the LORD

will appear for all to see.

The LORD has promised this!”

₆Someone told me to shout,

and I asked,

“What should I shout?”

We humans are merely grass,

and we last no longer

than wild flowers.

₇At the LORD's command,

flowers and grass disappear,

and so do we.

₈Flowers and grass fade away,

but what our God has said

will never change.

₉There is good news

for the city of Zion.

Shout it as loud as you can

from the highest mountain.

Don't be afraid to shout

to the towns of Judah,

“Your God is here!”

₁₀Look! The powerful LORD God

is coming to rule

with his mighty arm.

He brings with him

what he has taken in war,

and he rewards his people.

₁₁The LORD cares for his nation,

just as shepherds care

for their flocks.

He carries the lambs

in his arms,

while gently leading

the mother sheep.

₁₂Did any of you measure

the ocean by yourself

or stretch out the sky

with your own hands?

Did you put the soil

of the earth in a bucket

or weigh the hills and mountains

on balance scales?

₁₃Has anyone told the LORD

what he must do

or given him advice?

₁₄Did the LORD ask anyone

to teach him wisdom

and justice?

Who gave him knowledge

and understanding?

₁₅To the LORD, all nations

are merely a drop in a bucket

or dust on balance scales;

all the islands

are but a handful of sand.

₁₆The cattle

on Lebanon's mountains

would not be enough to offer

as a sacrifice to God,

and the trees would not

be enough for the fire.

₁₇God thinks of the nations

as far less than nothing.

₁₈Who compares with God?

Is anything like him?

₁₉Is an idol at all like God?

It is made of bronze

with a thin layer of gold,

and decorated with silver.

₂₀Or special wood may be chosen

because it doesn't rot—

then skilled hands

take care to make an idol

that won't fall on its face.

₂₁Don't you know?

Haven't you heard?

Isn't it clear that God

created the world?

₂₂God is the one who rules

the whole earth,

and we who live here

are merely insects.

He spread out the heavens

like a curtain or an open tent.

₂₃God brings down rulers

and turns them into nothing.

₂₄They are like flowers

freshly sprung up

and starting to grow.

But when God blows on them,

they wilt and are carried off

like straw in a storm.

₂₅The holy God asks,

“Who compares with me?

Is anyone my equal?”

₂₆Look at the evening sky!

Who created the stars?

Who gave them each a name?

Who leads them like an army?

The LORD is so powerful

that none of the stars

are ever missing.

₂₇You people of Israel, say,

“God pays no attention to us!

He doesn't care if we

are treated unjustly.”

But how can you say that?

₂₈Don't you know?

Haven't you heard?

The LORD is the eternal God,

Creator of the earth.

He never gets weary or tired;

his wisdom cannot be measured.

₂₉The LORD gives strength

to those who are weary.

₃₀Even young people get tired,

then stumble and fall.

₃₁But those who trust the LORD

will find new strength.

They will be strong like eagles

soaring upward on wings;

they will walk and run

without getting tired.

₁Be silent and listen,

every island in the sea.

Have courage and come near,

every one of you nations.

Let's settle this matter!

₂Who appointed this ruler

from the east?

Who puts nations and kings

in his power?

His sword and his arrows

turn them to dust

blown by the wind.

₃He goes after them so quickly

that his feet

barely touch the ground—

he doesn't even get hurt.

₄Who makes these things happen?

Who controls human events?

I do! I am the LORD.

I was there at the beginning;

I will be there at the end.

₅Islands and foreign nations

saw what I did and trembled

as they came near.

₆Worshippers of idols

comfort each other,

saying, “Don't worry!”

₇Woodcarvers, goldsmiths,

and other workers

encourage one another and say,

“We've done a great job!”

Then they nail the idol down,

so it won't fall over.

₈Israel, you are my servant.

I chose you, the family

of my friend Abraham.

₉From far across the earth

I brought you here and said,

“You are my chosen servant.

I haven't forgotten you.”

₁₀Don't be afraid. I am with you.

Don't tremble with fear.

I am your God.

I will make you strong,

as I protect you with my arm

and give you victories.

₁₁Everyone who hates you

will be terribly disgraced;

those who attack

will vanish into thin air.

₁₂You will look around

for those brutal enemies,

but you won't find them

because they will be gone.

₁₃I am the LORD your God.

I am holding your hand,

so don't be afraid.

I am here to help you.

₁₄People of Israel, don't worry,

though others may say,

“Israel is only a worm!”

I am the holy God of Israel,

who saves and protects you.

₁₅I will let you be like a log

covered with sharp spikes.

You will grind and crush

every mountain and hill

until they turn to dust.

₁₆A strong wind will scatter them

in all directions.

Then you will celebrate

and praise me, your LORD,

the holy God of Israel.

₁₇When the poor and needy

are dying of thirst

and cannot find water,

I, the LORD God of Israel,

will come to their rescue.

I won't forget them.

₁₈I will make rivers flow

on mountain peaks.

I will send streams

to fill the valleys.

Dry and barren land

will flow with springs

and become a lake.

₁₉I will fill the desert

with all kinds of trees—

cedars, acacias, and myrtles;

olive and cypress trees;

fir trees and pines.

₂₀Everyone will see this

and know that I,

the holy LORD God of Israel,

created it all.

₂₁I am the LORD,

the King of Israel!

Come, argue your case with me.

Present your evidence.

₂₂Come near me, you idols.

Tell us about the past,

and we will think about it.

Tell us about the future,

so we will know

what is going to happen.

₂₃Prove that you are gods

by making your predictions

come true.

Do something good or evil,

so we can be amazed

and terrified.

₂₄You idols are nothing,

and you are powerless.

To worship you

would be disgusting.

₂₅I, the LORD, appointed a ruler

in the north;

now he comes from the east

to honour my name.

He tramples kings like mud,

as potters trample clay.

₂₆Did any of you idols predict

what would happen?

Did any of you get it right?

None of you told about this

or even spoke a word.

₂₇I was the first to tell

the people of Jerusalem,

“Look, it's happening!”

I was the one who announced

this good news to Zion.

₂₈None of these idols

are able to give advice

or answer questions.

₂₉They are nothing,

and they can do nothing—

they are less

than a passing breeze.