21 (A)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?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who (B)stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a (C)tent to dwell in.
23 He [a]brings the (D)princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.

24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

25 “To(E) 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;
(F)He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.

27 (G)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.
(H)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 (I)wait on the Lord
(J)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.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 40:23 reduces

21 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?(A)
Has it not been told(B) you from the beginning?(C)
    Have you not understood(D) since the earth was founded?(E)
22 He sits enthroned(F) above the circle of the earth,
    and its people are like grasshoppers.(G)
He stretches out the heavens(H) like a canopy,(I)
    and spreads them out like a tent(J) to live in.(K)
23 He brings princes(L) to naught
    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.(M)
24 No sooner are they planted,
    no sooner are they sown,
    no sooner do they take root(N) in the ground,
than he blows(O) on them and they wither,(P)
    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.(Q)

25 “To whom will you compare me?(R)
    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(S)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(T)
    Who created(U) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(V) one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(W)
    not one of them is missing.(X)

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”?(Y)
28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?(Z)
The Lord is the everlasting(AA) God,
    the Creator(AB) of the ends of the earth.(AC)
He will not grow tired or weary,(AD)
    and his understanding no one can fathom.(AE)
29 He gives strength(AF) to the weary(AG)
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men(AH) stumble and fall;(AI)
31 but those who hope(AJ) in the Lord
    will renew their strength.(AK)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(AL)
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.(AM)

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