Isaiah 40

Comfort for God's People

1 z Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
 2 a Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that b her warfare 1 is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.

3 c A voice cries: 2
d "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
e make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
 4 f Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
 5 g And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
h for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The Word of God Stands Forever

6 A voice says, "Cry!"
And I said, 3 "What shall I cry?"
i All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty 4 is like the flower of the field.
 7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
 8 j The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

The Greatness of God

9 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, k herald of good news; 5
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news; 6
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
"Behold your God!"
 10 l Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
m behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
 11 n He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
o he will gather the lambs in his arms;
p he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.

12 q Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
 13 r Who has measured 7 the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
 14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
s Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted t as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up u the coastlands like fine dust.
 16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are v its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
 17 w All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

18 x To whom then will you liken God,
y or what likeness compare with him?
 19 y An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
 20 z He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood 8 that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.

21 a Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are b like grasshoppers;
c who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
 23 d who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
e and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 f To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
g He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
h "My way is hidden from the Lord,
i and my right is disregarded by my God"?
 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is j the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
k his understanding is unsearchable.
 29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
 31 but l they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings m like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 51:12
    I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass.
    Luke 2:25
    Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
  2. Cross References
    Hosea 2:14
    Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
  3. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 36:22
    Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
    Jeremiah 25:12
    Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.
  4. Cross References
    Matthew 3:3
    For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'
    Mark 1:3
    The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'
    Luke 3:4
    As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
    John 1:23
    He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.
  5. Cross References
    Malachi 3:1
    Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
    Isaiah 57:14
    And it shall be said, "Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people's way.
  6. Cross References
    Psalms 68:4
    Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord ; exult before him!
  7. Cross References
    Luke 3:5
    Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways.
    Isaiah 49:11
    And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.
  8. Cross References
    Luke 3:6
    And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:20
    But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
  10. Cross References
    1 Peter 1:24 - 25
    For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls.
    Job 14:2
    He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.
    Psalms 102:11
    My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
    Psalms 103:15
    As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field.
    James 1:10
    And the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
  11. Cross References
    James 1:11
    For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 52:7
    How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 59:16 - 17
    He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.
    Luke 11:22
    But when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
  14. Cross References
    Isaiah 62:11
    Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
    Revelation 22:12
    Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:23
    And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
    Zechariah 11:7
    So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep.
    John 10:11
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
    John 21:15
    When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs.
    Acts 20:28
    Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
  16. Cross References
    Matthew 18:12
    What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
    Luke 15:5
    And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
  17. Cross References
    Numbers 11:12
    Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,' to the land that you swore to give their fathers?
  18. Cross References
    Proverbs 30:4
    Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!
  19. Cross References
    Romans 11:34
    "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
    1 Corinthians 2:16
    For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
  20. Cross References
    Job 21:22
    Will any teach God knowledge, seeing that he judges those who are on high?
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:5
    But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:1
    Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment.
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 50:10
    For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
  24. Cross References
    Psalms 62:9
    Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
    Daniel 4:35
    All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?
    Isaiah 41:12
    You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:25
    To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
    Isaiah 46:5
    To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?
    Acts 17:29
    Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
  26. Cross References
    Hosea 13:2
    And now they sin more and more, and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them, "Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:18
    To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
  28. Cross References
    Isaiah 46:6
    Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!
    Jeremiah 10:3 - 5
    For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
    Isaiah 44:9 - 15
    All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.
  29. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:28
    Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
    Acts 14:17
    Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.
    Romans 1:19 - 20
    For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
  30. Cross References
    Numbers 13:33
    And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.
  31. Cross References
    Job 9:8
    Who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea.
    Psalms 104:2
    Covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.
  32. Cross References
    Job 12:21
    He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
    Psalms 107:40
    He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes.
  33. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:2
    Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.
    Psalms 83:13
    O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
  34. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:18
    To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
  35. Cross References
    Psalms 147:4
    He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
  36. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:14
    But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.
  37. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:4
    But I said, "I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.
  38. Cross References
    Psalms 121:4
    Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
  39. Cross References
    Psalms 147:5
    Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
  40. Cross References
    Psalms 103:5
    Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
  41. Cross References
    Exodus 19:4
    You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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