Speak kindly to Jerusalem and tell her, 'Your time of service is finished. You have paid the price for your sins.' Lord, you punished Jerusalem twice for every sin she committed."
Zion, you have good news to tell. Go up on a high mountain and shout the good news. Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Don't be afraid; speak loudly. Tell this news to all the cities of Judah: "Look, here is your God!"
The Lord God is coming with power. He will use his power to rule all the people. He will bring rewards for his people. He will have their payment with him.
Like a good shepherd, the Lord takes care of his people. He gathers them like little lambs in his arms. He holds them close, while their mothers walk beside him.
Who measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who used his hand to measure the sky? Who used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth? Who used scales to measure the mountains and hills?
Look, all the nations in the world are like one small drop in the bucket. If the Lord took all the faraway nations and put them on his scales, they would be like small pieces of dust.
No, but some people make statues from rock or wood, and they call them gods. One worker makes a statue. Then another worker covers it with gold and makes silver chains for it.
For the base he chooses special wood, a kind of wood that will not rot. Then he finds a good wood worker, and the worker makes a "god" that will not fall over.
It is the Lord who sits above the circle of the earth. And compared to him, people are like grasshoppers. He rolled open the skies like a piece of cloth. He stretched out the skies like a tent to sit under.
They are like plants that are planted in the ground. But before they can send their roots into the ground, God blows on the "plants"; they become dead and dry, and the wind blows them away like straw.
Look up to the skies. Who created all those stars? Who created all those "armies" in the sky? Who knows every star by name? He is very strong and powerful, so not one of these stars is lost.
People of Jacob, this is true. Israel, you should believe it. So why do you say, "The Lord cannot see the way I live; he will not find me and punish me"?
Surely you know the truth. Surely you have heard. The Lord is the God who lives forever! He created all the faraway places on earth. He does not get tired and weary. You cannot learn all he knows.
But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again—like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.