Isaiah 40 (New American Standard)

The Greatness of God

1 "¹Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God. 2 "²Speak ^akindly to Jerusalem ; And call out to her, that her ^b3warfare has ended, That her ^c4iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the LORD'S hand ⁵Double for all her sins." 3 ⁶A voice ^dis calling, "⁷Clear 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 ^eThen the ⁸glory of the LORD will be revealed, And ⁹all flesh will see it together ; For the ¹⁰mouth of the LORD has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Call out." Then ^fhe answered, "What shall I call out?" ¹¹All flesh is grass, and all its ^gloveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The ¹²grass withers, the flower fades, ^hWhen the ¹³breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But ¹⁴the word of our God stands forever. 9 Get yourself up on a ¹⁵high mountain, O Zion, bearer of ¹⁶good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news ; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the ¹⁷cities of Judah, "¹⁸Here is your God !" 10 Behold, the Lord ⁱGOD will come ¹⁹with might, With His ²⁰arm ruling for Him. Behold, His ²¹reward is with Him And His recompense before Him. 11 Like a shepherd He will ²²tend 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 ²³measured the ^jwaters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the ^kspan, And ^lcalculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales ? 13 ²⁴Who has ^mdirected the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His ²⁵counselor has informed Him? 14 ²⁶With whom did He consult and who ²⁷gave 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 ²⁸nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of ²⁹dust on the scales ; Behold, He lifts up the ⁿislands like fine dust. 16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its ³⁰beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 ³¹All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and ^omeaningless. 18 ³²To whom then will you liken God ? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? 19 As for the ^p33idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith ³⁴plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. 20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a ³⁵tree that does not rot ; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To ^qprepare ^ran idol that ³⁶will not totter. 21 ³⁷Do you not know ? Have you not heard ? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning ? Have you not understood ³⁸from the foundations of the earth ? 22 It is He who ^ssits above the ^t39circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like ⁴⁰grasshoppers, Who ⁴¹stretches out the heavens like a ⁴²curtain And spreads them out like a ⁴³tent to dwell in. 23 He it is who reduces ⁴⁴rulers to nothing, Who ⁴⁵makes the judges of the earth ^umeaningless. 24 ^vScarcely have they been planted, ^wScarcely have they been sown, ^xScarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the ⁴⁶storm carries them away like stubble. 25 "⁴⁷To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal ?" says the Holy One. 26 ⁴⁸Lift up your eyes on high And see ⁴⁹who has created these stars, The ⁵⁰One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name ; Because of the ⁵¹greatness of His might and the ^ystrength of His power, ⁵²Not one of them is missing. 27 ⁵³Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is ⁵⁴hidden from the LORD, And the ⁵⁵justice due me ^zescapes the notice of ⁵⁶my God "? 28 ⁵⁷Do you not know ? Have you not heard ? The ⁵⁸Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is ⁵⁹inscrutable . 29 He gives strength to the ⁶⁰weary, And to him who lacks might He ⁶¹increases power. 30 Though ⁶²youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous ⁶³young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who ^aawait for the LORD Will ⁶⁴gain new strength ; They will ^bb65mount up with ^ccwings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.