1 *ver. 7"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 *Ezek. 33:24he was but one when I called him,

that I might bless him and multiply him.

3 For the Lord*ch. 40:1;52:9comforts Zion;

he comforts all her waste places

and makes her wilderness like *Gen. 2:8;Ezek. 28:13;31:9;Joel 2:3Eden,

her desert like *Gen. 13:10the garden of the Lord;

*ch. 35:10joy and gladness will be found in her,

thanksgiving and the voice of song.

4 *Ps. 78:1"Give attention to me, my people,

and give ear to me, my nation;

*ch. 2:3for a law*51:4 Or for teaching; also verse 7 will go out from me,

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

5 *ch. 46:13My righteousness draws near,

my salvation has gone out,

and my arms will judge the peoples;

*See ch. 11:11the coastlands hope for me,

and for my arm they wait.

6 *ch. 40:26Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

and look at the earth beneath;

*Ps. 102:26;[Matt. 24:25;2 Pet. 3:10;Rev. 21:1] for the heavens vanish like smoke,

the earth will wear out like a garment,

and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;*51:6 Or will die like gnats

*[Ps. 102:27,28]but my salvation will be forever,

and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

7 *ver. 1"Listen to me, you who know righteousness,

the people *Ps. 37:31in whose heart is my law;

*ch. 41:14;Matt. 10:28fear not the reproach of man,

nor be dismayed at their revilings.

8 *ch. 50:9For the moth will eat them up like a garment,

and the worm will eat them like wool,

*[See ver. 6above]but my righteousness will be forever,

and my salvation to all generations."

9 *ver. 17;ch. 52:1Awake, awake, *[Ps. 93:1] put on strength,

O *ch. 40:10;52:10;53:1;Luke 1:51arm of the Lord;

awake, *Ps. 44:1as in days of old,

the generations of long ago.

Was it not you who cut *ch. 30:7Rahab in pieces,

who pierced *ch. 27:1;Ps. 74:13,14;Ezek. 29:3the dragon?

10 *ch. 43:16;Ex. 14:21;Ps. 106:9Was 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 *See ch. 35:10And 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 *ch. 40:1;66:13who comforts you;

who are you that you are afraid of *Ps. 118:6man who dies,

of the son of man who is made *See ch. 40:6like grass,

13 and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,

*ch. 40:22who stretched out the heavens

and *See ch. 48:13laid the foundations of the earth,

and you fear continually all the day

because of the wrath of *ch. 14:4the oppressor,

when he sets himself to destroy?

And where is the wrath of *ch. 14:4the oppressor?

14 *ch. 45:13He who is bowed down shall speedily be released;

he shall not die and go down *Zech. 9:11to the pit,

neither shall his bread be lacking.

15 I am the Lord your God,

*Jer. 31:35who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—

the Lord of hosts is his name.

16 *ch. 59:21;[ch. 50:4] And I have put my words in your mouth

*ch. 49:2and covered you in the shadow of my hand,

*ch. 40:22establishing*51:16 Or planting the heavens

and *See ch. 48:13laying the foundations of the earth,

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

17 *ver. 9;ch. 52:1Wake yourself, wake yourself,

stand up, O Jerusalem,

*Job 21:20;Jer. 25:15;[Matt. 20:22;26:39,42;Mark 10:38;14:36;Luke 22:42;John 18:11] you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord

the cup of his wrath,

who have drunk to the dregs

the bowl, *Ps. 60:3;Zech. 12:2the cup of staggering.

18 *[Ps. 74:9;Jer. 5:31]There is none to guide her

among all the sons she has borne;

there is none to take her by the hand

among all the sons she has brought up.

19 *ch. 47:9These two things have happened to you—

who will console you?—

devastation and destruction, famine and sword;

who will comfort you?*51:19 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text how shall I comfort you

20 *Lam. 2:11,12Your sons have fainted;

they lie at the head of every street

like an *Deut. 14:5antelope *[Ps. 141:10]in a net;

they are full of the wrath of the Lord,

the rebuke of your God.

21 *ch. 54:11Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted,

who are drunk, but not with wine:

22 Thus says your Lord, the Lord,

your God *Jer. 50:34;[ch. 49:25] who pleads the cause of his people:

"Behold, I have taken from your hand *[See ver. 17above]the cup of staggering;

the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;

23 *Jer. 25:17,26,28and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,

*[ch. 47:6] who have said to you,

‘Bow down, that we may pass over’;

and *[ch. 52:2]you have made your back like the ground

and like the street for them to pass over."