Isaiah 40

1 Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.

"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God.

2 Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim unto her, that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off; that she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.

"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem; and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins."

3 Hark! one calleth: 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make plain in the desert a highway for our God.

The voice of one who calls out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of Jehovah. Make his roads straight.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain;

Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low, and the uneven will be made level, and the rough places a plain.

5 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.'

And the glory of Jehovah will be revealed, and all humanity will see the salvation of God together; for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken."

6 Hark! one saith: 'Proclaim!' And he saith: 'What shall I proclaim?' 'All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field;

The voice of one saying, "Cry." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the breath of the LORD bloweth upon it — surely the people is grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades, because Jehovah's breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.

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

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of Jehovah stands forever."

9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: 'Behold your God!'

You 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. Do not be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, "Look, your God."

10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come as a Mighty One, and His arm will rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.

Look, Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him. Look, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

11 Even as a shepherd that feedeth his flock, that gathereth the lambs in his arm, and carrieth them in his bosom, and gently leadeth those that give suck.

He 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.

12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Who 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 measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13 Who hath meted out the spirit of the LORD? Or who was His counsellor that he might instruct Him?

Who has known the mind of Jehovah, or who has instructed him as his counselor?

14 With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of right, and taught Him knowledge, and made Him to know the way of discernment?

From whom 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? Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold the isles are as a mote in weight.

Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Look, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for burnt-offerings.

Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity.

All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

18 To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?

To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?

19 The image perchance, which the craftsman hath melted, and the goldsmith spread over with gold, the silversmith casting silver chains?

A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.

20 A holm-oak is set apart, he chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning craftsman to set up an image, that shall not be moved.

He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up an engraved image for him that will not be moved.

21 Know ye not? hear ye not? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood the foundations of the earth?

Haven't you known? Haven't you heard, yet? Haven't you been told from the beginning? Haven't you understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;

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 out like a tent to dwell in;

23 That bringeth princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as a thing of nought.

who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.

24 Scarce are they planted, scarce are they sown, scarce hath their stock taken root in the earth; when He bloweth upon them, they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.

They 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 ye liken Me, that I should be equal? saith the Holy One.

"To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their host by number, He calleth them all by name; by the greatness of His might, and for that He is strong in power, not one faileth.

Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their host 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.

27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel: 'My way is hid from the LORD, and my right is passed over from my God'?

Why do you say, Jacob, and why do you assert, Israel, "My way is hidden from Jehovah, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God?"

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? His discernment is past searching out.

And now, haven't you known? Haven't you heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the farthest parts of the earth, doesn't faint. He isn't weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might He increaseth strength.

He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall;

Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;

31 But they that wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

But those who wait for Jehovah 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.