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Isaiah 40:18-31
English Standard Version
Isaiah 40:18-31
English Standard Version
18 (A)To whom then will you liken God,
(B)or what likeness compare with him?
19 (C)An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 (D)He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood[a] that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.
21 (E)Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are (F)like grasshoppers;
(G)who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 (H)who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
(I)and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 (J)To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
(K)He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
and because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
(L)“My way is hidden from the Lord,
(M)and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is (N)the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
(O)his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but (P)they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings (Q)like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:20 Or He chooses valuable wood
Isaiah 40:18-31
New International Version
Isaiah 40:18-31
New International Version
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?(A)
To what image(B) will you liken him?
19 As for an idol,(C) a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith(D) overlays it with gold(E)
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood(F) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol(G) that will not topple.(H)
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(I)
Has it not been told(J) you from the beginning?(K)
Have you not understood(L) since the earth was founded?(M)
22 He sits enthroned(N) above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.(O)
He stretches out the heavens(P) like a canopy,(Q)
and spreads them out like a tent(R) to live in.(S)
23 He brings princes(T) to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.(U)
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root(V) in the ground,
than he blows(W) on them and they wither,(X)
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.(Y)
25 “To whom will you compare me?(Z)
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(AA)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(AB)
Who created(AC) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(AD) one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(AE)
not one of them is missing.(AF)
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?(AG)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(AH)
The Lord is the everlasting(AI) God,
the Creator(AJ) of the ends of the earth.(AK)
He will not grow tired or weary,(AL)
and his understanding no one can fathom.(AM)
29 He gives strength(AN) to the weary(AO)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men(AP) stumble and fall;(AQ)
31 but those who hope(AR) in the Lord
will renew their strength.(AS)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(AT)
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.(AU)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.