8. The grass dries up,the flowers wither,but the decree of our God is forever reliable.”
9. Go 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!”
10. Look, 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.
11. Like 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.
12. Who 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?
13. Who comprehends the mind of the Lord,or gives him instruction as his counselor?
14. From 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?
15. Look, 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.
16. Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice;its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings.
17. All the nations are insignificant before him;they are regarded as absolutely nothing.
18. To whom can you compare God?To what image can you liken him?
19. A craftsman casts an idol;a metalsmith overlays it with goldand forges silver chains for it.
20. To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot;he then seeks a skilled craftsmanto make an idol that will not fall over.
21. Do 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?
22. He 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.