Isaiah 40
40
Isaiah 40
God’s People Are Comforted
1 #
Isa 12.1
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
2 #
Isa 33.24; 35.4; 41.11–13; Jer 16.18 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.
3 #
Mal 3.1; Mt 3.3; Jn 1.23 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 #
Isa 45.2
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.
5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 #
Job 14.2; Ps 102.11; 103.15; 1 Pet 1.24, 25 A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said,#40.6 Q ms Gk Vg: MT and he said “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass;
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
7 #
v 24
; Ps 90.5, 6The grass withers; the flower fades,
[[when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
8 #
Isa 55.11; Mt 5.18; 1 Pet 1.24, 25 The grass withers; the flower fades,]]#40.7–8 Q ms Gk lack when the breath…flower fades
but the word of our God will stand forever.
9 #
Isa 52.7; 61.1; Acts 10.36; Rom 10.15 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;#40.9 Or O herald of good news to Zion
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;#40.9 Or O herald of good news to Jerusalem
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 #
Isa 59.16, 18; 62.11; Rev 22.12 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him
and his recompense before him.
11 #
Ezek 34.23; Mic 5.4; Jn 10.11; Heb 13.20 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.
12 #
Job 38.8–11; Isa 48.13; Heb 1.10–12 Who has measured the waters of the sea#40.12 Q ms: MT lacks of the sea 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?
13 #
Rom 11.34; 1 Cor 2.16 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
or as his counselor has instructed him?
14Whom 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 #
Isa 17.13; 29.5; Jer 10.10 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.
16Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.]]#40.14–16 Q ms lacks Who taught him…burnt offering
17 #
Isa 29.7; 30.28 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18 #
v 25
; Isa 46.5; Mic 7.18; Acts 17.29To whom, then, will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
19 #
Isa 41.6, 7; 44.12; Jer 10.3 An idol? A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 #
Isa 41.7; Jer 10.3–5 As a gift one chooses mulberry wood#40.20 Meaning of Heb uncertain
—wood that will not rot—
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will not topple.
21 #
Ps 19.1; Acts 14.17; Rom 1.19 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 #
Num 13.33; Job 22.14; Ps 104.2; Isa 42.5; 44.24 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,
23 #
Job 12.21; Ps 107.40; Isa 5.21 who brings princes to naught
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24 #
v 7
; Isa 17.10, 11, 13; 41.16Scarcely 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.
25 #
v 18
To whom, then, will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26 #
Ps 89.11–13; 147.4; Isa 34.16; 42.5; 51.6 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.
27 #
Isa 25.1; 49.4, 14; 54.8; Lk 18.7, 8 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”?
28 #
Ps 90.2; 147.5; Rom 11.33 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.
29 #
Isa 41.10; 50.4; Jer 31.25 He gives power to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
30Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted,
31 #
Deut 32.11; Ps 103.5; 2 Cor 4.1, 8–10, 16; Heb 12.3 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.
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Isaiah 40: NRSVUE
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Isaiah 40
40
The Greatness of God
1“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2“Speak #Lit to the heart of.tenderly to Jerusalem,
And call out to her, that her time of compulsory service in warfare is finished,
That her wickedness has been taken away [since her punishment is sufficient],
That she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double [punishment] for all her sins.”
3A 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.
4Every 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.
5And 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.”
6A 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.
7The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Most certainly [all] the people are [like] grass.
8The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
9O Zion, herald of good news,
Get up on a high mountain.
O Jerusalem, herald of good news,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, do not fear;
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10Listen carefully, the Lord God will come with might,
And His arm will rule for Him.
Most certainly His reward is with Him,
And His restitution accompanies Him.
11He will protect His flock like a shepherd,
He will gather the lambs in His arm,
He will carry them in His bosom;
He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.
12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand],
And calculated the dust of the earth with a #Lit third.measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or has taught Him as His counselor?
14With whom did He consult and who enlightened Him?
Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16And [the forests of] Lebanon cannot supply sufficient fuel to start a fire,
Nor are its wild beasts enough for a burnt offering [worthy of the Lord].
17All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
18To whom then will you liken God?
Or with what likeness will you compare Him?
19 As for the cast image (idol), a metalworker casts it,
A goldsmith overlays it with gold
And a silversmith casts its silver chains.
20He who is too impoverished for such an offering [to give to his god]
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To [carve and] set up an idol that will not totter.
21Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]?
22It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
[It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing,
Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).
24Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And a strong wind carries them away like stubble.
25“To whom then will you compare Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these heavenly bodies,
The One who brings out their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one is missing.
27Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become tired or grow weary;
There is no searching of His understanding.
29He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who has no might He increases power.
30Even youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not grow tired.
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