24  Thus says the Lord, ^eyour Redeemer,

^fwho formed you from the womb:

^g“I am the Lord, who made all things,

^hwho alone stretched out the heavens,

who spread out the earth by myself,

25  who frustrates the signs of liars

and makes fools of diviners,

ⁱwho turns wise men back

and makes their knowledge foolish,

26  ^jwho confirms the word of his servant

and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’

^kand of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,

and I will raise up their ruins’;

27  ^lwho says to the deep, ‘Be dry;

I will dry up your rivers’;

28  who says of ^mCyrus, ‘He is ⁿmy shepherd,

and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;

saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’

^oand of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

1  ^d“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,

you who seek the Lord:

look to the rock from which you were hewn,

and to the quarry from which you were dug.

2  Look to Abraham your father

and to Sarah who bore you;

for ^ehe was but one when I called him,

that I might bless him and multiply him.

3  For the Lord ^fcomforts Zion;

he comforts all her waste places

and makes her wilderness like ^gEden,

her desert like ^hthe garden of the Lord;

ⁱjoy and gladness will be found in her,

thanksgiving and the voice of song.

4  ^j“Give attention to me, my people,

and give ear to me, my nation;

^kfor a law¹ will go out from me,

and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.

5  ^lMy righteousness draws near,

my salvation has gone out,

and my arms will judge the peoples;

^mthe coastlands hope for me,

and for my arm they wait.

6  ⁿLift up your eyes to the heavens,

and look at the earth beneath;

^ofor the heavens vanish like smoke,

the earth will wear out like a garment,

and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;²

^pbut my salvation will be forever,

and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

7  ^q“Listen to me, you who know righteousness,

the people ^rin whose heart is my law;

^sfear not the reproach of man,

nor be dismayed at their revilings.

8  ^tFor the moth will eat them up like a garment,

and the worm will eat them like wool,

^pbut my righteousness will be forever,

and my salvation to all generations.”

9  ^uAwake, awake, ^vput on strength,

O ^warm of the Lord;

awake, ^xas in days of old,

the generations of long ago.

Was it not you who cut ^yRahab in pieces,

who pierced ^zthe dragon?

10  ^aWas it not you who dried up the sea,

the waters of the great deep,

who made the depths of the sea a way

for the redeemed to pass over?

11  ^bAnd the ransomed of the Lord shall return

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain gladness and joy,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

12  “I, I am he ^cwho comforts you;

who are you that you are afraid of ^dman who dies,

of the son of man who is made ^elike grass,

13  and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,

^fwho stretched out the heavens

and ^glaid the foundations of the earth,

and you fear continually all the day

because of the wrath of ^hthe oppressor,

when he sets himself to destroy?

And where is the wrath of ^hthe oppressor?

14  ⁱHe who is bowed down shall speedily be released;

he shall not die and go down ^jto the pit,

neither shall his bread be lacking.

15  I am the Lord your God,

^kwho stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—

the Lord of hosts is his name.

16  ^lAnd I have put my words in your mouth

^mand covered you in the shadow of my hand,

ⁿestablishing³ the heavens

and ^olaying the foundations of the earth,

and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”

1  ^h“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of ⁱthe desolate one ^jwill be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.

2  ^k“Enlarge the place of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.

3  ^lFor you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,

and your offspring will possess the nations

and will people the desolate cities.

4  “Fear not, ^mfor you will not be ashamed;

be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

5  ⁿFor your Maker is your husband,

the Lord of hosts is his name;

^oand the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

^pthe God of the whole earth he is called.

6  ^qFor the Lord has called you

like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,

like a wife of youth when she is cast off,

says your God.

7  ^rFor a brief moment I deserted you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

8  ^rIn overflowing anger for a moment

I hid my face from you,

^sbut with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”

says the Lord, your Redeemer.

9  “This is like ^tthe days of Noah¹ to me:

as I swore that the waters of Noah

should no more go over the earth,

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,

and will not rebuke you.

10  For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and ^umy covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

11  ^v“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,

behold, ^wI will set your stones in antimony,

^xand lay your foundations with sapphires.²

12  I will make your pinnacles of agate,³

your gates of carbuncles,⁴

and all your wall of precious stones.

13  ^yAll your children ^zshall be taught by the Lord,

^aand great shall be the peace of your children.

14  In righteousness you shall be established;

you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

15  ^bIf anyone stirs up strife,

it is not from me;

whoever stirs up strife with you

shall fall because of you.

16  Behold, I have created the smith

who blows the fire of coals

and produces a weapon for its purpose.

I have also created the ravager to destroy;

17  no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,

and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord

^cand their vindication⁵ from me, declares the Lord.”