Isaiah 40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God’s People Are Comforted
40 Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.(A)
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.(B)
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.(C)
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.(D)
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said,[a] “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass;
their constancy is like the flower of the field.(E)
7 The grass withers; the flower fades,
[[when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.(F)
8 The grass withers; the flower fades,]][b]
but the word of our God will stand forever.(G)
9 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;[c]
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;[d]
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(H)
10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him
and his recompense before him.(I)
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms
and carry them in his bosom
and gently lead the mother sheep.(J)
12 Who has measured the waters of the sea[e] in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?(K)
13 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
or as his counselor has instructed him?(L)
14 Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
[[Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.(M)
16 Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.]][f]
17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.(N)
18 To whom, then, will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?(O)
19 An idol? A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.(P)
20 As a gift one chooses mulberry wood[g]
—wood that will not rot—
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will not topple.(Q)
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?(R)
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
and spreads them like a tent to live in,(S)
23 who brings princes to naught
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.(T)
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.(U)
25 To whom, then, will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.(V)
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.(W)
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?(X)
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.(Y)
29 He gives power to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.(Z)
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted,
31 but those who wait for the Lord 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.(AA)
Isaiah 40
International Standard Version
God Comforts His People
40 “Comfort! Yes, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her heavy service has been completed,
that her penalty has been paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”
3 A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
and[a] in the desert a straight highway for our God.’
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be lowered;
the rough ground will become level,
and the mountain ridges made a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all humanity will see it at once;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Endures Forever
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
So I[b] asked, “What am I to cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,
and all its loyalty[c] is like the flowers of the field.
7 Grass withers and flowers fade away
when the Lord’s breath blows on them;
surely the people are like grass.[d]
8 Grass withers and flowers fade away,
when the Lord’s breath blows on them,
but the word of[e] our God will stand forever.”
Here is Your God
9 “Climb up a high mountain,
you messenger of good news to Zion!
Lift up your voice with strength,
you messenger to Jerusalem!
Lift it up!
Don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
10 Look! The Lord God comes with strength,
and his arm[f] rules for him.
Look! His reward is with him,
and his payment accompanies him.
11 Like a shepherd, he tends his flock.
He gathers the lambs in his arms,
carries them close to his heart,
and gently leads the mother sheep.”
Who is Like the Lord?
12 “Who has measured the waters of the sea[g]
in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens
by the width of his hand?[h]
Who has enclosed the dust of the earth
in a measuring bowl,
or weighed the mountains
in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has fathomed the Spirit of the Lord,
or as his counselor has taught him?[i]
14 With whom did he consult
to enlighten and instruct him on the path of justice?
Or who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of wisdom?
15 “Look! The nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are reckoned as dust on the scales.
Look! He even lifts up the islands like powder!
16 Lebanon would not provide enough fuel,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.[j]
17 All the nations are as nothing before him—
they are reckoned by him as[k] nothing and chaos.
18 “To whom, then, will you compare me,[l] the One who is[m] God?
Or to what image will you liken me?[n]
19 To an idol? A craftsman makes[o] the image,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts silver chains.
20 To the impoverished person?
He prepares[p] an offering—[q]
wood that won’t rot—
Or to the one who chooses a skilled craftsman[r]
and[s] seeks[t] 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[u] 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[v] their stems taken root in the earth,
than[w] he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest sweeps them away like stubble.
25 “To[x] 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[y] powerful strength[z]—
and[aa] not one is missing.”
The Lord Watches Israel
27 “Jacob, why do you say—
and Israel, why do you complain—
‘My predicament is hidden from the Lord,
and my cause is ignored by my God.’?
28 Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the eternal God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not grow tired or weary;
and[ab] his understanding cannot be fathomed.
29 He’s the[ac] one who gives might to the faint,
renewing strength for the powerless.
30 Even boys grow tired and weary,
and young men collapse and fall,
31 but those who keep waiting for the Lord will renew their strength.
Then[ad] they’ll soar on wings like eagles;
they’ll run and not grow weary;
they’ll walk and not grow tired.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:3 So1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
- Isaiah 40:6 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads he
- Isaiah 40:6 Or glory
- Isaiah 40:7 So MT; 1QIsaa LXX lack this v.
- Isaiah 40:8 So MT LXX; 1QIsaa lacks the word of
- Isaiah 40:10 I.e. the Messiah
- Isaiah 40:12 Lit. from
- Isaiah 40:12 So 1QIsaa Syr; MT LXX read by a hand’s width
- Isaiah 40:13 I.e. the Spirit; so 1QIsaa; MT reads the Lord
- Isaiah 40:16 b-16 So MT LXX; 1QIsaa includes these lines by a later scribe
- Isaiah 40:17 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads as less than
- 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 40:28 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks and
- Isaiah 40:29 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks The
- Isaiah 40:31 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack Then
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