Isaiah 40:1-31
40 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.+
2 “Speak to the heart of* Jerusalem,And proclaim to her that her compulsory service has been fulfilled,That her guilt has been paid off.+
From the hand of Jehovah she has received a full amount* for all her sins.”+
3 A voice of one calling out in the wilderness:
“Clear up* the way of Jehovah!+
Make a straight highway+ through the desert for our God.+
4 Let every valley be raised up,And every mountain and hill be made low.
The rough ground must become level,And the rugged ground a valley plain.+
5 The glory of Jehovah will be revealed,+And all flesh* will see it together,+For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.”
6 Listen! Someone is saying: “Call out!”
Another asks: “What should I call out?”
“All flesh is* green grass.
All their loyal love is like the blossom of the field.+
7 The green grass dries up,The blossom withers,+Because the breath* of Jehovah blows upon it.+
Surely the people are but green grass.
8 The green grass dries up,The blossom withers,But the word of our God endures forever.”+
9 Go up onto a high mountain,You woman bringing good news for Zion.+
Raise your voice with power,You woman bringing good news for Jerusalem.
Raise it, do not be afraid.
Announce to the cities of Judah: “Here is your God.”+
10 Look! The Sovereign Lord Jehovah will come with power,And his arm will rule for him.+
Look! His reward is with him,And the wage he pays is before him.+
11 Like a shepherd he will care for* his flock.+
With his arm he will gather together the lambs,And in his bosom he will carry them.
He will gently lead those nursing their young.+
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand+And taken the measurements* of the heavens with a span of his hand?*
Who has gathered in a measure the dust of the earth+Or weighed the mountains in the balancesAnd the hills in the scales?
13 Who has taken the measurements of* the spirit of Jehovah,And who can instruct him as his adviser?+
14 With whom did he consult to gain understanding,Or who teaches him in the path of justice,Or teaches him knowledge,Or shows him the way of true understanding?+
15 Look! The nations are like a drop from a bucket,And as the film of dust on the scales they are regarded.+
Look! He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebʹa·non is not sufficient to keep a fire burning,*And its wild animals are not sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as something nonexistent in front of him;+He regards them as nothing, as an unreality.+
18 To whom can you compare God?+
What likeness can you put next to him?+
19 The craftsman casts an idol,*The metalworker overlays it with gold,+And he forges silver chains.
20 He chooses a tree for his contribution,+A tree that will not rot.
He searches for a skilled craftsmanTo prepare a carved image that will not topple over.+
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?+
22 There is One who dwells above the circle* of the earth,+And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He is stretching out the heavens like a fine gauze,And he spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.+
23 He reduces high officials to nothingAnd makes the judges* of the earth an unreality.
24 They are hardly planted,They are hardly sown,Their stem has hardly taken root in the earth,And they are blown on and dry up,And the wind carries them away like stubble.+
25 “To whom can you liken me to make me his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 “Lift up your eyes to heaven and see.
Who has created these things?+
It is the One who brings out their army by number;He calls them all by name.+
Because of his vast dynamic energy and his awe-inspiring power,+Not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you declare, O Israel,‘My way is hidden from Jehovah,And I receive no justice from God’?+
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, is a God for all eternity.+
He never tires out or grows weary.+
His understanding is unsearchable.*+
29 He gives power to the tired oneAnd full might to those lacking strength.*+
30 Boys will tire out and grow weary,And young men will stumble and fall,
31 But those hoping in Jehovah will regain power.
They will soar on wings like eagles.+
They will run and not grow weary;They will walk and not tire out.”+
Footnotes
^ Or “Speak consolingly to.”
^ Or “received double.”
^ Or “Prepare.”
^ Or “all humans.”
^ Or “All humans are.”
^ Or “spirit.”
^ Or “will shepherd.”
^ Or “the proportions.”
^ The distance between the end of the thumb and the little finger when the hand is spread. See App. B14.
^ Or possibly, “has comprehended.”
^ Or “cannot provide sufficient firewood.”
^ Or “a molten statue.”
^ Or “sphere.”
^ Or “rulers.”
^ Or “cannot be fathomed.”
^ Or “dynamic energy.”