Isaiah 40
40
Comfort for God’s People
1 # ch. 51:12; [Luke 2:25] Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 #
Hos. 2:14 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that #[2 Chr. 36:22; Jer. 25:12]her warfare#40:2 Or hardship is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 # Cited Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23 A voice cries:#40:3 Or A voice of one crying
#
Mal. 3:1; [ch. 57:14] “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
#
Ps. 68:4
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 # Cited Luke 3:5; [ch. 49:11] 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.
5 # [Luke 3:6] And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
# ch. 1:20 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Stands Forever
6A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said,#40:6 Revocalization based on Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Vulgate; Masoretic Text And someone says “What shall I cry?”
# Cited 1 Pet. 1:24, 25; [Job 14:2; Ps. 102:11; 103:15; James 1:10] All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty#40:6 Or all its constancy is like the flower of the field.
7The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 # Cited James 1:11 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
The Greatness of God
9Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, #ch. 52:7herald 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, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 # ch. 59:16, 17; [Luke 11:22] Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
# ch. 62:11; [Rev. 22:12] behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 #
Ezek. 34:23; Zech. 11:7; [John 10:11; 21:15; Acts 20:28] He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
# [Matt. 18:12; Luke 15:5] he will gather the lambs in his arms;
# [Num. 11:12] he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
12 # [Prov. 30:4] Who has measured the waters 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 # Cited Rom. 11:34; [1 Cor. 2:16] Who has measured#40:13 Or has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
14Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
#
Job 21:22
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted #ch. 29:5 as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up #ch. 41:1the coastlands like fine dust.
16Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are #[Ps. 50:10]its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 #
Ps. 62:9; Dan. 4:35; [ch. 41:12] All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18 # ver. 25; ch. 46:5; Acts 17:29 To whom then will you liken God,
# [Hos. 13:2] or what likeness compare with him?
19 # [See ver. 18 above] An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 # ch. 46:6; Jer. 10:3-5; See ch. 44:9-15 He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood#40:20 Or He chooses valuable wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.
21 # ver. 28; [Acts 14:17; Rom. 1:19, 20] Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are #[Num. 13:33] like grasshoppers;
#
Job 9:8; Ps. 104:2 who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 #
Job 12:21; Ps. 107:40 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
# ch. 41:2; [Ps. 83:13] and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 # ver. 18 To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
#
Ps. 147:4
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
and because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
27Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
# [ch. 49:14] “My way is hidden from the Lord,
# [ch. 49:4] and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is #[Ps. 121:4] the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
#
Ps. 147:5
his understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31but #Ps. 103:5 they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings #[Ex. 19:4]like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
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Isaiah 40: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Isaiah 40
40
1“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2“Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins.”
3The voice of one who calls out,
“Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness!
Make a level highway in the desert for our God.
4Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The uneven shall be made level,
and the rough places a plain.
5Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together;
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
6The voice of one saying, “Cry out!”
One said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory is like the flower of the field.
7The grass withers,
the flower fades,
because Yahweh’s breath blows on it.
Surely the people are like grass.
8The grass withers,
the flower fades;
but the word of our God stands forever.”
9You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength!
Lift it up! Don’t be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, your God!”
10Behold, the Lord Yahweh will come as a mighty one,
and his arm will rule for him.
Behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will gather the lambs in his arm,
and carry them in his bosom.
He will gently lead those who have their young.
12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and marked off the sky with his span,
and calculated the dust of the earth in a measuring basket,
and weighed the mountains in scales,
and the hills in a balance?
13Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit,
or has taught him as his counselor?
14Who did he take counsel with,
and who instructed him,
and taught him in the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance.
Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.
16Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
17All the nations are like nothing before him.
They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
18To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to him?
19A workman has cast an image,
and the goldsmith overlays it with gold,
and casts silver chains for it.
20He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot.
He seeks a skillful workman to set up a carved image for him that will not be moved.
21Haven’t you known?
Haven’t you heard?
Haven’t you been told from the beginning?
Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth?
22It 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 out like a tent to dwell in,
23who brings princes to nothing,
who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
24They are planted scarcely.
They are sown scarcely.
Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground.
He merely blows on them, and they wither,
and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.
25“To whom then will you liken me?
Who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high,
and see who has created these,
who brings out their army by number.
He calls them all by name.
By the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power,
not one is lacking.
27Why do you say, Jacob,
and speak, Israel,
“My way is hidden from Yahweh,
and the justice due me is disregarded by my God”?
28Haven’t you known?
Haven’t you heard?
The everlasting God, Yahweh,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint.
He isn’t weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29He gives power to the weak.
He increases the strength of him who has no might.
30Even the youths faint and get weary,
and the young men utterly fall;
31but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength.
They will mount up with wings like eagles.
They will run, and not be weary.
They will walk, and not faint.
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