2  I will praise the Lord ^oas long as I live;

^pI will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

6  ^wwho made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

^xwho keeps faith forever;

7  ^ywho executes justice for the oppressed,

^zwho gives food to the hungry.

^aThe Lord sets the prisoners free;

8  ^bthe Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

^cThe Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

^dthe Lord loves the righteous.

9  ^eThe Lord watches over the sojourners;

^fhe upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but ^gthe way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10  ^hThe Lord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

ⁿPraise the Lord!

1  ^zComfort, comfort my people, says your God.

2  ^aSpeak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her

that ^bher warfare¹ is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand

double for all her sins.

3  ^cA voice cries:²

^d“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

^emake straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4  ^fEvery valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

5  ^gAnd the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

^hfor the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”