(A)The voice of one calling out,
(B)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make [a]straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the uneven ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
[b]Then the (C)glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And (D)all flesh will see it together;
For the (E)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [c]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(F)All flesh is grass, and all its [d]loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The (G)grass withers, the flower fades,
[e]When the (H)breath of the Lord blows upon it;
The people are indeed grass!
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (I)the word of our God stands forever.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 40:3 Or smooth
  2. Isaiah 40:5 Or In order that the
  3. Isaiah 40:6 Another reading is I said
  4. Isaiah 40:6 Or constancy
  5. Isaiah 40:7 Or Because


A voice of one is calling out,
“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness [remove the obstacles];
Make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God.(A)

“Every valley shall be raised,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged places a broad valley.

“And the glory and majesty and splendor of the Lord will be revealed,
And all humanity shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”(B)

A voice says, “Call out [prophesy].”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
[The voice answered:] All humanity is [as frail as] grass, and all that makes it attractive [its charm, its loveliness] is [momentary] like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.(C)

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(A)A voice cries:[a]
(B)“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    (C)make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
(D)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.
(E)And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    (F)for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The Word of God Stands Forever

A voice says, “Cry!”
    And I said,[b] “What shall I cry?”
(G)All flesh is grass,
    and all its beauty[c] is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
(H)The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one crying
  2. Isaiah 40:6 Revocalization based on Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Vulgate; Masoretic Text And someone says
  3. Isaiah 40:6 Or all its constancy

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

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