Isaiah 40

1 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.

Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, Saith your God.

2 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, That her warfare has been completed, That her punishment has been accepted, That she has received from the hand of YHWH Double for all her sins.

Speak ye encouragement to Jerusalem, and declare to her, That her hard service is ended; That her iniquity is expiated; That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins.

3 A voice is crying in a wilderness: “Prepare the way of YHWH, Make straight in a desert a highway for our God.

A voice crieth: “Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God!

4 Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place has become a plain, And the entangled places a valley.

Every valley shall be exalted, And every mountain and hill be made low; The crooked shall become straight, And the rough places plain.

5 And the glory of YHWH has been revealed, And all flesh have seen [it] together, For the mouth of YHWH has spoken.”

For the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it!”

6 A voice is saying, “Call,” And he said, “What do I call?” All flesh [is] grass, and all its goodness [Is] as a flower of the field:

A voice said, Proclaim! And I said, What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, And all its comeliness as the flower of the field.

7 Grass has withered, the flower faded, For the Spirit of YHWH blew on it, Surely the people [is] grass;

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, When the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it. Truly the people is grass.

8 Grass has withered, the flower faded, But a word of our God rises forever.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, But the word of our God shall stand forever.

9 Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up your voice with power, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, do not fear, say to cities of Judah, “Behold, your God.”

Get thee up on the high mountain, O thou that bringest glad tidings to Zion; Lift up thy voice with strength, thou that bringest glad tidings to Jerusalem; Lift it up; be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, Lord YHWH comes with strength, And His arm is ruling for Him, Behold, His hire [is] with Him, and His wage before Him.

Behold, the Lord Jehovah shall come with might, And his arm shall rule for him; Behold, his reward is with him, And his recompense before him.

11 He feeds His flock as a shepherd, He gathers lambs with His arm, And He carries [them] in His bosom: He leads suckling ones.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather up the lambs in his arms, And carry them in his bosom, And gently lead the nursing ewes.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And has meted out the heavens by a span, And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, And has weighed the mountains in scales, And the hills in a balance?

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And meted out the heavens with his span, And gathered the dust of the earth into a measure, And weighed the mountains in scales, And the hills in a balance?

13 Who has meted out the Spirit of YHWH, And [being] His counselor, teaches Him?

Who hath searched out the spirit of Jehovah, Or, being his counsellor, hath taught him?

14 With whom [did] He consult, That he causes Him to understand? And teaches Him in the path of judgment, And teaches Him knowledge? And causes Him to know the way of understanding?

With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, And taught him the path of justice, And taught him knowledge, And showed him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, nations [are] as a drop from a bucket, And have been reckoned as small dust of the balance, Behold, He takes up islands as a small thing.

Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, And are accounted as the small dust of the balance; Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing,

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

And Lebanon is not sufficient for fire, Nor its beasts for a burnt-offering.

17 All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

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

18 And to whom do you liken God, And what likeness do you compare to Him?

To whom then will ye liken God, And what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19 An artisan has poured out the carved image, And a refiner spreads it over with gold, And he is refining chains of silver.

The workman casteth an image, And the smith overlayeth it with gold, And casteth for it silver chains.

20 He who is poor [by] raised-offerings, Chooses a tree [that is] not rotten, He seeks a skillful artisan for it, To establish a carved image—not moved.

He that is too poor to make an oblation Chooseth a piece of wood that will not rot; He seeketh for himself a skilful artificer, To prepare an image that shall not be moved.

21 Do you not know—do you not hear? Has it not been declared from the first to you? Have you not understood [From] the foundations of the earth?

Do ye not know? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have ye not considered the foundations of the earth?

22 He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out the heavens as a thin thing, And spreads them as a tent to dwell in.

It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth, And the inhabitants are to him as grasshoppers; That stretcheth out the heavens as a canopy, And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;

23 He who is making princes become nothing, Has made judges of earth formless;

That bringeth princes to nothing, And reduceth the rulers of the earth to vanity.

24 Indeed, they have not been planted, Indeed, they have not been sown, Indeed, their stock is not taking root in the earth, And He has also blown on them, and they wither, And a whirlwind takes them away as stubble.

Yea, scarcely are they planted, scarcely are they sown, Scarcely hath their stem taken root in the ground, When He bloweth upon them and they wither, And the whirlwind beareth them away like stubble.

25 And to whom do you liken Me, And [to whom] I equal? Says the Holy One.

To whom then will ye liken me, And to whom shall I be compared? Saith the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see—who has created these? He who is bringing out their host by number, He calls to all of them by name, By the abundance of His strength And mighty power, Not one is lacking.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and behold! Who hath created these? He draweth forth their host by number, He calleth them all by name; Through the greatness of his strength and the mightiness of his power, Not one of them faileth to appear.

27 Why say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way has been hid from YHWH, And from my God my judgment passes over?”

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, “My way is hidden from Jehovah, My cause passeth by before my God”?

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The God of the age—YHWH, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.

Do ye not know? Have ye not heard? Jehovah is an everlasting God, The creator of the ends of the earth; He fainteth not, nor is he weary; His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increases might.

He giveth power to the faint; To the feeble abundant strength.

30 Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

The youths shall faint and be weary, And the young warriors shall utterly fall.

31 But those expecting YHWH pass [to] power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!

But they that trust in Jehovah 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.