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Isaiah 40:25-42:9
New King James Version
Isaiah 40:25-42:9
New King James Version
25 “To(A) whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
(B)He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 (C)Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
(D)His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who (E)wait on the Lord
(F)Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41 “Keep (G)silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us (H)come near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one (I)from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who (J)gave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed [a]safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 (K)Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am (L)the first;
And with the last I am (M)He.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 (N)Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
[b]“Be of good courage!”
7 (O)So the craftsman encouraged the (P)goldsmith;[c]
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, [d]“It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
(Q)That it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have (R)chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My (S)friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 (T)Fear not, (U)for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be (V)ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[e]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you (W)worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, (X)I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall (Y)winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And (Z)glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not (AA)forsake them.
18 I will open (AB)rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the (AC)wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the (AD)desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
20 (AE)That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
The Futility of Idols
21 “Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the (AF)King of Jacob.
22 “Let(AG) them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the (AH)former things, what they were,
That we may [f]consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
23 (AI)Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, (AJ)do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed (AK)you are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.
25 “I have raised up one from the north,
And he shall come;
From the [g]rising of the sun (AL)he shall call on My name;
(AM)And he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
26 (AN)Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?
And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’?
Surely there is no one who shows,
Surely there is no one who declares,
Surely there is no one who hears your words.
27 (AO)The first time (AP)I said to Zion,
‘Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
28 (AQ)For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 (AR)Indeed they are all [h]worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Behold! (AS)My Servant whom I uphold,
My [i]Elect One in whom My soul (AT)delights!
(AU)I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And [j]smoking flax He will not [k]quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
(AV)And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the Lord,
(AW)Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
(AX)Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I,(AY) the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You (AZ)and give You as a covenant to the people,
As (BA)a light to the Gentiles,
7 (BB)To open blind eyes,
To (BC)bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in (BD)darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My (BE)glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:3 Lit. in peace
- Isaiah 41:6 Lit. Be strong
- Isaiah 41:7 refiner
- Isaiah 41:7 Or The soldering is good
- Isaiah 41:12 Lit. Men of your strife
- Isaiah 41:22 Lit. set our heart on them
- Isaiah 41:25 East
- Isaiah 41:29 So with MT, Vg.; DSS, Syr., Tg. nothing; LXX omits first line
- Isaiah 42:1 Chosen
- Isaiah 42:3 dimly burning
- Isaiah 42:3 extinguish
Isaiah 40:25-42:9
New International Version
Isaiah 40:25-42:9
New International Version
25 “To whom will you compare me?(A)
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(B)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(C)
Who created(D) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(E) one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(F)
not one of them is missing.(G)
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”?(H)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?(I)
The Lord is the everlasting(J) God,
the Creator(K) of the ends of the earth.(L)
He will not grow tired or weary,(M)
and his understanding no one can fathom.(N)
29 He gives strength(O) to the weary(P)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men(Q) stumble and fall;(R)
31 but those who hope(S) in the Lord
will renew their strength.(T)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(U)
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.(V)
The Helper of Israel
41 “Be silent(W) before me, you islands!(X)
Let the nations renew their strength!(Y)
Let them come forward(Z) and speak;
let us meet together(AA) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred(AB) up one from the east,(AC)
calling him in righteousness(AD) to his service[a]?(AE)
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(AF) with his sword,
to windblown chaff(AG) with his bow.(AH)
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(AI)
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling(AJ) forth the generations from the beginning?(AK)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last(AL)—I am he.(AM)”
5 The islands(AN) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth(AO) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!(AP)”
7 The metalworker(AQ) encourages the goldsmith,(AR)
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.(AS)
8 “But you, Israel, my servant,(AT)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(AU)
you descendants of Abraham(AV) my friend,(AW)
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,(AX)
from its farthest corners I called(AY) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(AZ)
I have chosen(BA) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(BB) for I am with you;(BC)
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(BD) you and help(BE) you;
I will uphold you(BF) with my righteous right hand.(BG)
11 “All who rage(BH) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(BI)
those who oppose(BJ) you
will be as nothing and perish.(BK)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.(BL)
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing(BM) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand(BN)
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help(BO) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(BP) you worm(BQ) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(BR) you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer,(BS) the Holy One(BT) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(BU)
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(BV) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.(BW)
16 You will winnow(BX) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale(BY) will blow them away.(BZ)
But you will rejoice(CA) in the Lord
and glory(CB) in the Holy One(CC) of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy search for water,(CD)
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.(CE)
But I the Lord will answer(CF) them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake(CG) them.
18 I will make rivers flow(CH) on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert(CI) into pools of water,(CJ)
and the parched ground into springs.(CK)
19 I will put in the desert(CL)
the cedar and the acacia,(CM) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers(CN) in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress(CO) together,(CP)
20 so that people may see and know,(CQ)
may consider and understand,(CR)
that the hand(CS) of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One(CT) of Israel has created(CU) it.
21 “Present your case,(CV)” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.(CW)
22 “Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.(CX)
Tell us what the former things(CY) were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,(CZ)
23 tell us what the future holds,
so we may know(DA) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,(DB)
so that we will be dismayed(DC) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing(DD)
and your works are utterly worthless;(DE)
whoever chooses you is detestable.(DF)
25 “I have stirred(DG) up one from the north,(DH) and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads(DI) on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,(DJ) so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold(DK) it,
no one heard any words(DL) from you.
27 I was the first to tell(DM) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.(DN)
28 I look but there is no one(DO)—
no one among the gods to give counsel,(DP)
no one to give answer(DQ) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;(DR)
their images(DS) are but wind(DT) and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant,(DU) whom I uphold,
my chosen one(DV) in whom I delight;(DW)
I will put my Spirit(DX) on him,
and he will bring justice(DY) to the nations.(DZ)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(EA)
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(EB) he will not break,(EC)
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(ED)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(EE)
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(EF) on earth.
In his teaching(EG) the islands(EH) will put their hope.”(EI)
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(EJ) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(EK) with all that springs from it,(EL)
who gives breath(EM) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(EN) you in righteousness;(EO)
I will take hold of your hand.(EP)
I will keep(EQ) you and will make you
to be a covenant(ER) for the people
and a light(ES) for the Gentiles,(ET)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(EU)
to free(EV) captives from prison(EW)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(EX)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. 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.