Isaiah 40:2-5

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