11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. |
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance? |
13 Who has understood the mind4 40:13 Or Spirit ; or spirit of the LORD ,
or instructed him as his counselor? |
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding? |
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. |
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. |
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing. |
18 To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to? |
19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it. |
20 A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple. |
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded? |
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in. |
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. |
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. |
25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. |
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing. |
