Isa 40 | NASB1995 | STEP | “ Comfort , O comfort My people ,” says your God .

Isaiah 40

The Greatness of God

1 ^a“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 ^b“Speak ^{▼▼ Lit to the heart of}kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her ^{▼▼ Or hard service
,} ^ewarfare has ended,
That her ^{▼▼ Or penalty of iniquity accepted as paid off
,} ^giniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
^hDouble for all her sins.”

3 ⁱA voice ^{▼▼ Or of one calling out}is calling,
^k“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 ^{▼▼ Or In order that the}Then the ^mglory of the Lord will be revealed,
And ⁿall flesh will see it together;
For the ^omouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then ^{▼▼ Another reading is I said}he answered, “What shall I call out?”
^qAll flesh is grass, and all its ^{▼▼ Or constancy}loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The ^sgrass withers, the flower fades,
^{▼▼ Or Because}When the ^ubreath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But ^vthe word of our God stands forever.

9 Get yourself up on a ^whigh mountain,
O Zion, bearer of ^xgood news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the ^ycities of Judah,
^z“Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God will come ^abwith might,
With His ^acarm ruling for Him.
Behold, His ^adreward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will ^aetend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

12 Who has ^afmeasured the ^{▼▼ DSS reads waters of the sea}waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the ^{▼▼ Or half cubit; i.e. 9 in.}span,
And ^{▼▼ Lit contained or comprehended}calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 ^ajWho has ^{▼▼ Or measured, marked off}directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His ^alcounselor has informed Him?
14 ^amWith whom did He consult and who ^angave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the ^aonations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of ^apdust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the ^{▼▼ Or coastlands}islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its ^arbeasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 ^asAll the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and ^{▼▼ Or void}meaningless.

18 ^auTo whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the ^{▼▼ Or graven image
,} ^awidol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith ^axplates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a ^aytree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To ^{▼▼ Or set up}prepare ^{▼▼ Or a graven image}an idol that ^bbwill not totter.

21 ^bcDo you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood ^bdfrom the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who ^{▼▼ Or is enthroned}sits above the ^{▼▼ Or vault
,} ^bgcircle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like ^bhgrasshoppers,
Who ^bistretches out the heavens like a ^bjcurtain
And spreads them out like a ^bktent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces ^blrulers to nothing,
Who ^bmmakes the judges of the earth ^{▼▼ Or void}meaningless.
24 ^{▼▼ Or Not even}Scarcely have they been planted,
^{▼▼ Or Not even}Scarcely have they been sown,
^{▼▼ Or Not even}Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the ^brstorm carries them away like stubble.
25 ^bs“To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 ^btLift up your eyes on high
And see ^buwho has created these stars,
The ^bvOne who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the ^bwgreatness of His might and the ^{▼▼ So DSS and ancient versions; M.T. strong}strength of His power,
^byNot one of them is missing.

27 ^bzWhy do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is ^cahidden from the Lord,
And the ^cbjustice due me ^{▼▼ Lit passes by my God}escapes the notice of ^cdmy God”?
28 ^ceDo you not know? Have you not heard?
The ^cfEverlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is ^cginscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the ^chweary,
And to him who lacks might He ^ciincreases power.
30 Though ^cjyouths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous ^ckyoung men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who ^{▼▼ Or hope in}wait for the Lord
Will ^cmgain new strength;
They will ^{▼▼ Or sprout wings
,} ^comount up with ^{▼▼ Or pinions}wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.