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Isaiah 39:1-41:16
New Living Translation
Isaiah 39:1-41:16
New Living Translation
Envoys from Babylon
39 Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick and that he had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was delighted with the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?”
Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.”
4 “What did they see in your palace?” asked Isaiah.
“They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 6 ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’”
8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”
Comfort for God’s People
40 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!
4 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”[a]
6 A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.[b]
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
10 Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
The Lord Has No Equal
12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?[c]
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?
15 No, for all the nations of the world
are but a drop in the bucket.
They are nothing more
than dust on the scales.
He picks up the whole earth
as though it were a grain of sand.
16 All the wood in Lebanon’s forests
and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough
to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.
17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him.
In his eyes they count for less than nothing—
mere emptiness and froth.
18 To whom can you compare God?
What image can you find to resemble him?
19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold,
overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?
20 Or if people are too poor for that,
they might at least choose wood that won’t decay
and a skilled craftsman
to carve an image that won’t fall down!
21 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand?
Are you deaf to the words of God—
the words he gave before the world began?
Are you so ignorant?
22 God sits above the circle of the earth.
The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain
and makes his tent from them.
23 He judges the great people of the world
and brings them all to nothing.
24 They hardly get started, barely taking root,
when he blows on them and they wither.
The wind carries them off like chaff.
25 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
not a single one is missing.
27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
God’s Help for Israel
41 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea.
Bring your strongest arguments.
Come now and speak.
The court is ready for your case.
2 “Who has stirred up this king from the east,
rightly calling him to God’s service?
Who gives this man victory over many nations
and permits him to trample their kings underfoot?
With his sword, he reduces armies to dust.
With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.
3 He chases them away and goes on safely,
though he is walking over unfamiliar ground.
4 Who has done such mighty deeds,
summoning each new generation from the beginning of time?
It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last.
I alone am he.”
5 The lands beyond the sea watch in fear.
Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.
6 The idol makers encourage one another,
saying to each other, “Be strong!”
7 The carver encourages the goldsmith,
and the molder helps at the anvil.
“Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.”
Carefully they join the parts together,
then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.
8 “But as for you, Israel my servant,
Jacob my chosen one,
descended from Abraham my friend,
9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
and will not throw you away.
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
11 “See, all your angry enemies lie there,
confused and humiliated.
Anyone who opposes you will die
and come to nothing.
12 You will look in vain
for those who tried to conquer you.
Those who attack you
will come to nothing.
13 For I hold you by your right hand—
I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
14 Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob,
don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you.
I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’
15 You will be a new threshing instrument
with many sharp teeth.
You will tear your enemies apart,
making chaff of mountains.
16 You will toss them into the air,
and the wind will blow them all away;
a whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in the Lord.
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Footnotes
- 40:3-5 Greek version reads He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, / “Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! / Clear a road for our God! / Fill in the valleys, / and level the mountains and hills. / And then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, / and all people will see the salvation sent from God. / The Lord has spoken!” Compare Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6.
- 40:9 Or O messenger of good news, shout to Zion from the mountaintops! Shout it louder to Jerusalem.
- 40:13 Greek version reads Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Compare Rom 11:34; 1 Cor 2:16.
Isaiah 39:1-41:16
New International Version
Isaiah 39:1-41:16
New International Version
Envoys From Babylon(A)
39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon(B) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys(C) gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold,(D) the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.(E) There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”
“From a distant land,(F)” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”
4 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word(G) of the Lord Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.(H) Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.(I)”
8 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,(J)” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.(K)”
Comfort for God’s People
40 Comfort, comfort(L) my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly(M) to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service(N) has been completed,(O)
that her sin has been paid for,(P)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double(Q) for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way(R) for the Lord[a];
make straight(S) in the desert
a highway for our God.[b](T)
4 Every valley shall be raised up,(U)
every mountain and hill(V) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,(W)
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory(X) of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.(Y)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”(Z)
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,(AA)
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers(AB) and the flowers fall,
because the breath(AC) of the Lord blows(AD) on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers(AE) fall,
but the word(AF) of our God endures(AG) forever.(AH)”
9 You who bring good news(AI) to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,[c](AJ)
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(AK)
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes(AL) with power,(AM)
and he rules(AN) with a mighty arm.(AO)
See, his reward(AP) is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:(AQ)
He gathers the lambs in his arms(AR)
and carries them close to his heart;(AS)
he gently leads(AT) those that have young.(AU)
12 Who has measured the waters(AV) in the hollow of his hand,(AW)
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?(AX)
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?(AY)
13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d](AZ) of the Lord,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor?(BA)
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,(BB)
or showed him the path of understanding?(BC)
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;(BD)
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.(BE)
16 Lebanon(BF) is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals(BG) enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations(BH) are as nothing;(BI)
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.(BJ)
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?(BK)
To what image(BL) will you liken him?
19 As for an idol,(BM) a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith(BN) overlays it with gold(BO)
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood(BP) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol(BQ) that will not topple.(BR)
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(BS)
Has it not been told(BT) you from the beginning?(BU)
Have you not understood(BV) since the earth was founded?(BW)
22 He sits enthroned(BX) above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.(BY)
He stretches out the heavens(BZ) like a canopy,(CA)
and spreads them out like a tent(CB) to live in.(CC)
23 He brings princes(CD) to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.(CE)
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root(CF) in the ground,
than he blows(CG) on them and they wither,(CH)
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.(CI)
25 “To whom will you compare me?(CJ)
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(CK)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(CL)
Who created(CM) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(CN) one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(CO)
not one of them is missing.(CP)
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”?(CQ)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(CR)
The Lord is the everlasting(CS) God,
the Creator(CT) of the ends of the earth.(CU)
He will not grow tired or weary,(CV)
and his understanding no one can fathom.(CW)
29 He gives strength(CX) to the weary(CY)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men(CZ) stumble and fall;(DA)
31 but those who hope(DB) in the Lord
will renew their strength.(DC)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(DD)
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.(DE)
The Helper of Israel
41 “Be silent(DF) before me, you islands!(DG)
Let the nations renew their strength!(DH)
Let them come forward(DI) and speak;
let us meet together(DJ) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred(DK) up one from the east,(DL)
calling him in righteousness(DM) to his service[e]?(DN)
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(DO) with his sword,
to windblown chaff(DP) with his bow.(DQ)
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(DR)
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling(DS) forth the generations from the beginning?(DT)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last(DU)—I am he.(DV)”
5 The islands(DW) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth(DX) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!(DY)”
7 The metalworker(DZ) encourages the goldsmith,(EA)
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.(EB)
8 “But you, Israel, my servant,(EC)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(ED)
you descendants of Abraham(EE) my friend,(EF)
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,(EG)
from its farthest corners I called(EH) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(EI)
I have chosen(EJ) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(EK) for I am with you;(EL)
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(EM) you and help(EN) you;
I will uphold you(EO) with my righteous right hand.(EP)
11 “All who rage(EQ) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(ER)
those who oppose(ES) you
will be as nothing and perish.(ET)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.(EU)
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing(EV) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand(EW)
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help(EX) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(EY) you worm(EZ) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(FA) you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer,(FB) the Holy One(FC) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(FD)
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(FE) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.(FF)
16 You will winnow(FG) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale(FH) will blow them away.(FI)
But you will rejoice(FJ) in the Lord
and glory(FK) in the Holy One(FL) of Israel.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
- Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
- Isaiah 40:9 Or Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. / Jerusalem, bringer of good news
- Isaiah 40:13 Or mind
- Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.