Isaiah 40:1-11

New King James Version

God’s People Are Comforted^(A)

40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
²“Speak ^[a]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
^(B)For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”

³^(C)The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
^(D)“Prepare the way of the Lord;
^(E)Make straight ^[b]in the desert
A highway for our God.
⁴Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
^(F)The crooked places shall be made ^[c]straight
And the rough places smooth;
⁵The ^(G)glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

⁶The voice said, “Cry out!”
And ^[d]he said, “What shall I cry?”

^(H)“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
⁷The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
⁸The grass withers, the flower fades,
But ^(I)the word of our God stands forever.”

⁹O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

¹⁰Behold, the Lord God shall come ^[e]with a strong hand,
And ^(J)His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, ^(K)His reward is with Him,
And His ^[f]work before Him.
¹¹He will ^(L)feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.