Isaiah 40

The Lord Returns to Jerusalem

1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says yourt God.

2 “Speak kindly tot Jerusalem,s and tell her
that her time of warfare is over,t
that her punishment is completed.t
For the Lord has made her pay doublet for all her sins.”

3 A voice cries out,
“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;
construct in the desert a road for our God.

4 Every valley must be elevated,
and every mountain and hill leveled.
The rough terrain will become a level plain,
the rugged landscape a wide valley.

5 The splendort of the Lord will be revealed,
and all peoplet will see it at the same time.
Fort the Lord has decreed it.”t

6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
Another asks,t “What should I cry out?”
The first voice responds:t “All people are like grass,t
and all their promisest are like the flowers in the field.

7 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
when the wind sent by the Lordt blows on them.
Surely humanityt is like grass.

8 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
but the decree of our God is forever reliable.”t

9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!
Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem!t
Shout, don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior;t
his military power establishes his rule.t
Look, his reward is with him;
his prize goes before him.t

11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart;t
he leads the ewes along.

The Lord is Incomparable

12 Who has measured out the waterst in the hollow of his hand,
or carefullyt measured the sky,t
or carefully weighedt the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance,
or the hills on scales?s

13 Who comprehendst the mindt of the Lord,
or gives him instruction as his counselor?t

14 From whom does he receive directions?t
Whot teaches him the correct way to do things,t
or imparts knowledge to him,
or instructs him in skillful design?ts

15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales.
He liftst the coastlandst as if they were dust.

16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice;t
its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings.s

17 All the nations are insignificant before him;
they are regarded as absolutely nothing.t

18 To whom can you compare God?
To what image can you liken him?

19 A craftsman castst an idol;
a metalsmith overlays it with gold
and forges silver chains for it.

20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot;t
he then seeks a skilled craftsman
to maket an idol that will not fall over.

21 Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?
Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?

22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon;t
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him.t
He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain,t
and spreads it outt like a pitched tent.t

23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;
he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.

24 Indeed, they are barely planted;
yes, they are barely sown;
yes, they barely take root in the earth,
and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,
and the wind carries them away like straw.

25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”
says the Holy One.s

26 Look up at the sky!t
Who created all these heavenly lights?t
He is the one who leads out their ranks;t
he calls them all by name.
Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,
not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you say, Jacob,
Why do you say, Israel,
“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me,t
My God is not concerned with my vindication”?t

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God,
the creator of the whole earth.t
He does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his wisdom.s

29 He gives strength to those who are tired;
to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.

30 Even youths get tired and weary;
even strong young men clumsily stumble.t

31 But those who wait for the Lord’s helpt find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,t
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.

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.