Isaiah 40:18-26
International Standard Version
18 “To whom, then, will you compare me,[a] the One who is[b] God?
Or to what image will you liken me?[c]
19 To an idol? A craftsman makes[d] the image,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts silver chains.
20 To the impoverished person?
He prepares[e] an offering—[f]
wood that won’t rot—
Or to the one who chooses a skilled craftsman[g]
and[h] seeks[i] to erect an idol that won’t topple?”
The Majesty of the Lord
21 “You know, don’t you?
You have heard, haven’t you?
Hasn’t it been told you from the beginning?
Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the[j] earth?
22 He’s the one who sits above the disk of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He’s the one who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in,
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes void the rulers of the earth.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner have[k] their stems taken root in the earth,
than[l] he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest sweeps them away like stubble.
25 “To[m] whom, then, will you compare me,
and to whom should I be equal?”
asks the Holy One.
26 “Lift your eyes up to heaven and see
who created all these—
the one who leads out their vast array of stars by number,
calling them all by name—
because of his great might
and his[n] powerful strength[o]—
and[p] not one is missing.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:18 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack me
- Isaiah 40:18 1QIsaa LXX MT lack the One who is
- Isaiah 40:18 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read him
- Isaiah 40:19 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads casts
- Isaiah 40:20 1QIsaa MT LXX lack prepares
- Isaiah 40:20 So MT; later 1QIsaa scribe includes this line
- Isaiah 40:20 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read chooses wood
- Isaiah 40:20 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks and
- Isaiah 40:20 So 1QIsaa; MT reads seeks a skilled craftsman
- Isaiah 40:21 So MT; implied in 1QIsaa
- Isaiah 40:24 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read has
- Isaiah 40:24 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read and then; LXX lacks than
- Isaiah 40:25 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read And to
- Isaiah 40:26 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack his
- Isaiah 40:26 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads strong
- Isaiah 40:26 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
Isaiah 40:18-26
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)
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