her reign is ended; for her iniquity is forgiven: for she hath received double from the hand of the LORD for all her sin.

It is the voice of a preacher in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make ye a level path in the land for our God.

All valleys shall be exalted, and all mountains and hills shall be made low; and that which is unequal shall be made level, and that which is crooked shall be made plain.

For the glory of the LORD shall be revealed; and all flesh together shall see that the mouth of the LORD speaketh].

And a voice saith, Preach. And he said, What shall I preach? All flesh is hay, and all his goodness is as a flower of the field.

The hay withereth, the flower fadeth: for the Spirit of the LORD bloweth in it. Yea, the people are the hay.

The hay withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God endureth for ever.

Zion, thou preacher, arise upon a high mountain. Jerusalem, thou preacher, lift up thy voice with power, lift up and fear not; say to the cities of Judah, Behold, there is your God!

For, behold, the Lord GOD cometh mightily; and his arm shall reign. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense is before him.

He shall feed his flock as a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs into his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and lead the mothers of the sheep.

Who hath measured the waters with a fist, and hath compassed the heavens with a span, and comprehended the earth with a dreiling, and weighed the mountains with a weight, and the hills with a balance?

Who instructeth the spirit of the LORD, and what counsellor instructeth him?

Whom shall he ask counsel of, that may give him understanding, and teach him the way of judgment, and teach him knowledge, and instruct him in the way of understanding?

Behold, the heathen are esteemed as a drop that remaineth in the bucket, and as a mite that remaineth in the balance. Behold, the isles are as the small sticks.

Lebanon was too small for fire, and his beasts too small for burnt offering.

All the heathen are nothing before him, and are esteemed as vain and empty.

Whom then will ye liken God unto, or what likeness will ye make unto him?

The master maketh an image, and the goldsmith gildeth it, and maketh silver chains thereunto.

Likewise he that is able to make a poor heave, let him choose a wood that rotteth not, and let him seek a wise master to make an image that will stand the test of time.

Know ye not? Hear ye not? Is it not declared unto you before? Have ye not understood it from the foundation of the earth?

He sitteth upon the circle of the earth; and they that dwell therein are as locusts. Who stretcheth out the heavens like a thin skin, and spreadeth them out like a tabernacle to dwell in;

Which destroyeth princes, and maketh vain the judges of the earth, 24. As if their tribe had neither plant, nor seed, nor root in the earth; so that, when a wind bloweth among them, they wither, and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.

Whom then will ye liken me to? saith the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold. Who hath created these things, and brought forth their host by number? He that calleth them all by name: so great is his ability, and so great is his might, that there is no lack of one.

Wherefore then sayest thou, O Jacob, and thou, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment passeth before my God?

Don’t you know? Hast thou not heard? The LORD, the eternal God, who created the ends of the earth, is not weary nor faint; his understanding is unfathomable.

He giveth strength to the weary, and power enough to the impotent.

The lads grow weary and faint, and the young men fall;

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength, that they may mount up as eagles, that they may run, and not be weary, that they may walk, and not be faint.
(Isaiah)
Chapter 41
Vanity of idolatry.

Let the isles be silent before me, and let the nations strengthen themselves. Let them come near and speak now; let us be right with one another!

Who hath raised up the righteous from his rising? Who called him to go? Who gave the nations and kings before him, that he might be mighty over them; and gave them to his sword as dust, and to his bow as scattered stubble,

That he followed them, and passed through with peace, and was never weary of the way?

Who doeth it, and maketh it, and calleth all men one by one from the beginning? It is I the LORD, both the first and the last.

And when the isles saw it, they were afraid, and the ends of the earth were afraid; and they drew nigh, and came near.

And one helped another, and said unto his neighbour, Be of good cheer.

And the carpenter took the goldsmith, and made the plate smooth with the hammer upon the anvil, and said: This will be fine. And they fastened it with nails, that it should not shake.

But thou, O Israel, my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my beloved, 9. Who strengthened thee from the end of the world, and called thee from their mighty ones, and said unto thee, Thou shalt be my servant: for I choose thee, and will not reject thee, 10. Fear not, I am with you; do not turn away, for I am your God. I strengthen you, I also help you; I uphold you by the right hand of my righteousness.

Behold, they shall be mocked and put to shame, all they that offend thee; they shall be as nothing: and the men that dispute with thee shall perish,

That thou mayest inquire of them, and shalt not find them. The men that quarrel with thee shall be as nothing; and the men that fight against thee shall come to an end.

For I am the LORD thy God, which strengthen thy right hand, and say unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Fear not, O little worm of Jacob, ye poor multitude of Israel. I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Behold, I have made thee a sharp new threshing-floor, having prongs; and thou shalt break down mountains, and bruise them, and make the hills as chaff.

Thou shalt scatter them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall weave them. But thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the holy things of Israel.

The wretched and the poor seek water, and there is none: their tongue is parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will hear them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them, 18. But I will open rivers of water upon the high places, and fountains in the midst of the fields; I will make the wilderness lakes of water, and the dry land springs of water.

I will give in the wilderness cedars, and pines, and myrtles, and pines; and in the field I will give firs, and beeches, and box trees together,

That they may see, and know, and perceive, and understand at the same time, that the hand of the LORD hath done these things, and that the Holy One hath created these things in Israel.

Let your cause come, saith the LORD; bring hither that ye stand upon, saith the king in Jacob.

Let them come near, and tell us what is to come. Declare unto us, and give us knowledge beforehand; let us consider it with our hearts, and know how it shall be hereafter: or let us hear what is to come.

Tell us what shall come after this, and we will know that ye are gods. In spite of yourselves, do good or harm, and let us talk about it and look at it together.

Behold, ye are of nothing, and your doings are also of nothing, and to choose you is abomination.

But I will raise up one from the north, and come from the rising of the sun. He shall preach my name unto them, and shall go over the mighty as over glues, and shall tread the dung as a potter.

Who can declare from the beginning? let us hear it; or prophesy beforehand? let us say, Thou speakest aright. But there is no proclaimer, no one to hear, no one to hear a word from you.

I am the first that saith unto Zion, Behold, here it is; and I give preachers unto Jerusalem.

But there I look, but there is none; and I look among them, but there is no counsellor; I ask them, but they answer nothing.

Behold, all is vain trouble, and nothing with their doings; their idols are wind and vain.
(Isaiah)
Chapter 42
Christ’s goodness, the Jews’ ingratitude.

Behold, this is my servant, I sustain him: and my chosen, in whom my soul is well pleased, I have given him my spirit; he shall bring judgment among the heathen.

He shall not cry, neither shall he shout; neither shall his voice be heard in the streets.

He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoldering wick. He will teach to keep the law truly.

He shall not be sullen nor grievous, that he may establish judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

Thus saith the Lord GOD, which maketh the heavens, and stretcheth them out, and maketh the earth, and the increase