| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. | 1"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. |
| 2“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.” | 2"Speak kindly to Jerusalem, and tell her that her time of warfare is over, that her punishment is completed. For the LORD has made her pay double for all her sins." |
| 3The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. | 3A voice cries out, "In the wilderness clear a way for the LORD; construct in the desert a road for our God. |
| 4Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; | 4Every valley must be elevated, and every mountain and hill leveled. The rough terrain will become a level plain, the rugged landscape a wide valley. |
| 5The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” | 5The splendor of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it at the same time. For the LORD has decreed it." |
| 6The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. | 6A voice says, "Cry out!" Another asks, "What should I cry out?" The first voice responds: "All people are like grass, and all their promises are like the flowers in the field. |
| 7The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. | 7The grass dries up, the flowers wither, when the wind sent by the LORD blows on them. Surely humanity is like grass. |
| 8The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” | 8The grass dries up, the flowers wither, but the decree of our God is forever reliable." |
| 9O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” | 9Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion! Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! Shout, don't be afraid! Say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" |
| 10Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. | 10Look, the sovereign LORD comes as a victorious warrior; his military power establishes his rule. Look, his reward is with him; his prize goes before him. |
| 11He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. | 11Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along. |
| 12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? | 12Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand, or carefully measured the sky, or carefully weighed the soil of the earth, or weighed the mountains in a balance, or the hills on scales? |
| 13Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? | 13Who comprehends the mind of the LORD, or gives him instruction as his counselor? |
| 14With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding? | 14From whom does he receive directions? Who teaches him the correct way to do things, or imparts knowledge to him, or instructs him in skillful design? |
| 15Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. | 15Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales. He lifts the coastlands as if they were dust. |
| 16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. | 16Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings. |
| 17All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. | 17All the nations are insignificant before him; they are regarded as absolutely nothing. |
| 18To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? | 18To whom can you compare God? To what image can you liken him? |
| 19The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains. | 19A craftsman casts an idol; a metalsmith overlays it with gold and forges silver chains for it. |
| 20Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter. | 20To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; he then seeks a skilled craftsman to make an idol that will not fall over. |
| 21Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? | 21Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told to you since the very beginning? Have you not understood from the time the earth's foundations were made? |
| 22It 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. | 22He is the one who sits on the earth's horizon; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, and spreads it out like a pitched tent. |
| 23He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. | 23He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing; he makes the earth's leaders insignificant. |
| 24Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. | 24Indeed, they are barely planted; yes, they are barely sown; yes, they barely take root in the earth, and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up, and the wind carries them away like straw. |
| 25“To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. | 25"To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?" says the Holy One. |
| 26Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. | 26Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing. |
| 27Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? | 27Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, "The LORD is not aware of what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication"? |
| 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. | 28Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. |
| 29He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. | 29He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. |
| 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, | 30Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. |
| 31But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. | 31But those who wait for the LORD's help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. |
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