Isaiah 40:1-5

Your God says, “Comfort, comfort my people. Speak kindly to the people of Jerusalem. Tell them that their time of service is finished. Tell them that they have paid for their sins. Tell them that the Lord has punished Jerusalem twice for every sin they did.” This is the voice of a man who calls out: “Prepare in the desert the way for the Lord. Make the road in the dry lands straight for our God. Every valley should be raised up. Every mountain and hill should be made flat. The rough ground should be made level. The rugged ground should be made smooth. Then the glory of the Lord will be shown. All people together will see it. The Lord himself said these things.”