Isaiah 40

Comfort for God’s People

1 “Comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindness to Jerusalem.”

2 “Tell her her punishment is over, her sins are paid for. She already took double for all her wrong from the Lord’s hand.”

A Voice Calling in the Wilderness

3 A voice is shouting, “Clear the road for the Lord in the wilderness! Make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”

4 Every valley is going to be lifted up, every mountain and hill brought low. Rough ground will smooth out, and crooked paths will straighten.

5 Then the glory of the Lord will show up, and everybody will see it together. The Lord Himself said it.

The Weakness of Man Vs. the Power of God

6 A voice said, “Shout!” I said, “What You want me to shout?” He said, “Shout that people are like grass, their beauty fades like flowers in a field.”

7 Grass withers and flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them, people the same way.

8 Grass withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.

God Comes with Power

9 Zion, go climb a high mountain and shout the good news. Jerusalem, lift up your voice without fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

10 The Lord God is coming with power. He rules with strength. He brings His reward with Him and carries His people close.

11 He will care for His flock like a shepherd, holding the lambs in His arms, carrying them close to His chest, and leading the mother sheep gently.

God Is Unmatched

12 Who measured the oceans in His hand, Who marked off the heavens with His fingers, Who weighed the mountains and hills on a scale,

13 Who can teach the Spirit of the Lord anything, Who can counsel Him,

14 Did He ever need advice, Did someone teach Him justice, knowledge, or understanding,

15 The nations are like a drop in a bucket to Him, dust on the scales. He lifts islands like they are nothing.

16 Lebanon does not have enough wood or animals to make an offering worthy of Him.

17 All nations before Him are nothing, less than nothing, emptiness.

Do Not Compare God to Idols

18 Who you are going to compare God to, What picture or statue even comes close,

19 People melt down gold to make an idol. A craftsman shapes it, another plates it with gold, then they fasten it so it will not fall over.

20 If someone too broke for gold, they pick some wood that will not rot and hire a craftsman to make an idol that will not topple.

God Rules Over Creation

21 Do you not know, Have you not heard, Has it not been told since the beginning, Have you not understood since God laid the foundations of the earth,

22 He sits above the circle of the earth, and the people look like grasshoppers from there. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to live in.

23 He brings princes to nothing and makes rulers of the earth disappear.

24 They barely get started, barely rooted, then He blows on them and they wither, and the storm carries them away like straw.

God Is Unmatched in Power

25 “To whom will you compare Me, Who is My equal,” says the Holy One.

26 Look up at the sky. Who made all that, He brings out the stars one by one and calls them by name. His power is so strong, not one of them is missing.

God Strengthens the Weary

27 Why are you saying, Jacob, “God does not see my situation”, Why are you saying, Israel, “God ignored my case”,

28 Do you not know, Have you not heard, The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never gets tired or worn out, and no one can measure His understanding.

29 He gives strength to the weak and power to the ones with no energy left.

30 Even young men get tired, stumble, and fall.

31 But those who wait on the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not faint.