Isaiah 40

Chapter 40

Comfort for God’s People

1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the LORD has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the LORD!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!4 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The LORD has spoken!”t6 A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.7 The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the LORD.
And so it is with people.8 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”9 O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.t
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

The LORD Has No Equal

12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD?t
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?15 No, for all the nations of the world
are but a drop in the bucket.
They are nothing more
than dust on the scales.
He picks up the whole earth
as though it were a grain of sand.16 All the wood in Lebanon’s forests
and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough
to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him.
In his eyes they count for less than nothing—
mere emptiness and froth.18 To whom can you compare God?
What image can you find to resemble him?19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold,
overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains?20 Or if people are too poor for that,
they might at least choose wood that won’t decay
and a skilled craftsman
to carve an image that won’t fall down!21 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand?
Are you deaf to the words of God—
the words he gave before the world began?
Are you so ignorant?22 God sits above the circle of the earth.
The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain
and makes his tent from them.23 He judges the great people of the world
and brings them all to nothing.24 They hardly get started, barely taking root,
when he blows on them and they wither.
The wind carries them off like chaff.25 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.26 Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
not a single one is missing.27 O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

ISAIAH 40

Encourage God's People

1 Our God has said:
“Encourage my people!
Give them comfort.

2 Speak kindly to Jerusalem
and announce:
Your slavery is past;
your punishment is over.
I, the [Lord], made you pay
double for your sins.”

3  t t Someone is shouting:
“Clear a path in the desert!
Make a straight road
for the [Lord] our God.

4 Fill in the valleys;
flatten every hill
and mountain.
Level the rough
and rugged ground.

5 Then the glory of the [Lord]
will appear for all to see.
The [Lord] has promised this!”

6  t Someone told me to shout,
and I asked,
“What should I shout?”
We humans are merely grass,
and we last no longer
than wild flowers.

7 At the [Lord]'s command,
flowers and grass disappear,
and so do we.

8 Flowers and grass fade away,
but what our God has said
will never change.

Your God Is Here!

9 There is good news
for the city of Zion.
Shout it as loud as you cant
from the highest mountain.
Don't be afraid to shout
to the towns of Judah:
“Your God is here!”

10  t Look! The powerful [Lord] God
is coming to rule
with his mighty arm.
He brings with him
what he has taken in war,
and he rewards his people.

11  t The [Lord] cares for his nation,
just as shepherds care
for their flocks.
He carries the lambs
in his arms,
while gently leading
the mother sheep.

Who Compares with God?

12 Did any of you measure
the ocean by yourself
or stretch out the sky
with your own hands?
Did you put the soil
of the earth in a bucket
or weigh the hills and mountains
on balance scales?

13  t Has anyone told the [Lord]t
what he must do
or given him advice?

14 Did the [Lord] ask anyone
to teach him wisdom
and justice?
Who gave him knowledge
and understanding?

15  t To the [Lord], all nations
are merely a drop in a bucket
or dust on balance scales;
all of the islands
are but a handful of sand.

16 The cattle on the mountains
of Lebanon
would not be enough to offer
as a sacrifice to God,
and the trees would not
be enough for the fire.

17 God thinks of the nations
as far less than nothing.

18  t Who compares with God?
Is anything like him?

19 Is an idol at all like God?
It is made of bronze
with a thin layer of gold,
and decorated with silver.

20  t Or special wood may be chosent
because it doesn't rot—
then skilled hands
take care to make an idol
that won't fall on its face.

God Rules the Whole Earth

21 Don't you know?
Haven't you heard?
Hasn't it been clear
since the time of creation?t

22 God is the one who rules
the whole earth,
and we that live here
are merely insects.
He spread out the heavens
like a curtain or an open tent.

23 God brings down rulers
and turns them into nothing.

24 They are like flowers
freshly sprung up
and starting to grow.
But when God blows on them,
they wilt and are carried off
like straw in a storm.

25 The holy God asks,
“Who compares with me?
Is anyone my equal?”

26  t Look at the evening sky!
Who created the stars?
Who gave them each a name?
Who leads them like an army?
The [Lord] is so powerful
that none of the stars
are ever missing.

The [Lord] Gives Strength

27 You people of Israel say,
“God pays no attention to us!
He doesn't care if we
are treated unjustly.”
But how can you say that?

28 Don't you know?
Haven't you heard?
The [Lord] is the eternal God,
Creator of the earth.
He never gets weary or tired;
his wisdom cannot be measured.

29 The [Lord] gives strength
to those who are weary.

30 Even young people get tired,
then stumble and fall.

31 But those who trust the [Lord]
will find new strength.
They will be strong like eagles
soaring upward on wings;
they will walk and run
without getting tired.