The Lord is Incomparable

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 gold

and forges silver chains for it.

20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot;

he then seeks a skilled craftsman

to 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.

23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;

he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.

24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”

says the Holy One.

26 Look up at the sky!

Who created all these heavenly lights?

He is the one who leads out their ranks;

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, Jacob,

Why do you say, Israel,

“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me,

My God is not concerned with my vindication”?

28 Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is an eternal God,

the creator of the whole earth.

He does not get tired or weary;

there is no limit to his wisdom.

29 He gives strength to those who are tired;

to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.

30 Even youths get tired and weary;

even strong young men clumsily stumble.

31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength;

they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,

they run without growing weary,

they walk without getting tired.

41 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands!

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate!

2 Who stirs up this one from the east?

Who officially commissions him for service?

He hands nations over to him,

and enables him to subdue kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow.

3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed;

he advances with great speed.

4 Who acts and carries out decrees?

Who summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one.

5 The coastlands see and are afraid;

the whole earth trembles;

they approach and come.

6 They help one another;

one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’

7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding,

and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”