1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were dug.

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

2 Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave birth to you. When I called him, he was one person, and I blessed him and made him many.

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

3 For the Lord comforts Zion; He comforts all her ruins. He will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

4 Listen to me, my people; give ear to me, my nation. For My instruction will go out, and My justice will be a light for the peoples.

Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

5 My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone out, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The coastlands will look to Me and wait in hope for My arms.

My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth below. For the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never fail.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts. Do not fear the reproach of men or be dismayed by their insults.

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth will eat them like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will last forever, and My salvation through all generations.

For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

9 Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake, as in days of old, as in generations long ago. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces and pierced the dragon?

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

10 Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a road for the redeemed to cross over?

Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

11 So the ransomed of the Lord will return, and they will come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

12 I, I am the One who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear mortals who die, or humans who are like grass?

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

13 You have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You live in constant fear every day because of the anger of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy. But where is the fury of the oppressor?

And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

14 The one who is bowed down will soon be set free; he will not die and go down to the pit, nor will he lack bread.

The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

15 For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of Hosts is His name.

But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.

16 I have put My words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to lay the foundations of the earth, and to say to Zion, 'You are My people.'

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself! Arise, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl of staggering.

Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

18 There is no one to guide her among all the sons she has borne, and no one to take her by the hand among all the sons she has raised.

There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

19 These double calamities have come upon you—destruction and devastation, famine and sword. Who will console you?

These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?

20 Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like antelopes caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God.

Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.

21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, who are drunk but not with wine.

Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:

22 This is what your Lord, the Lord your God who defends His people, says: 'See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering, the goblet of My wrath. You will never drink from it again.'

Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, 'Bow down so we can walk over you.' You made your back like the ground, like a street for them to walk over.

But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.