40 Your God says, ‘Comfort my people.
Yes, comfort them.
2 Speak kindly to the people in Jerusalem.
Tell them that their time of trouble has now finished.
Their punishment has been enough.
The Lord has made them pay for their sins.
He has made them pay twice.’
3 Somebody's voice is shouting,
‘Prepare a way in the wilderness for the Lord .
Make a straight road in the desert for our God.
4 Raise up every valley,
and bring down every mountain and hill.
The rough ground and the ground that has rocks
will become flat.
5 Then the great glory of the Lord will appear!
All people will see it at the same time.
The Lord himself has promised this.’
6 A voice is saying, ‘Shout!’
But I say, ‘What should I shout?’
‘Shout that all people are like grass.
Their promises are like the flowers in a field.
7 Grass quickly dies,
and flowers fall to the ground.
The Lord causes this to happen,
when he sends a wind to blow on them.
It is true. People are like grass.
8 Grass quickly dies,
and flowers fall to the ground.
But God's promise will be true for ever.’
9 Zion, you have good news to tell to people!
So go up onto a high mountain.
Yes, Jerusalem, shout the good news!
Shout aloud, and do not be afraid.
Say to the towns in Judah, ‘Here is your God!’
10 Look! The Almighty Lord is coming with power.
He will use his great strength to rule the people.
Look again! He is bringing his gifts with him.
He brings the prize that he has won in battle.
11 He takes care of his people,
like a shepherd who takes care of his sheep. [ a ]
He picks up the young lambs
and he carries them near to his heart.
He carefully leads the mother sheep that have lambs.
12 Nobody has done what God has done!
He measured all the water of the seas in one hand.
He used his hand to measure the whole sky.
He carefully weighed the soil of the earth.
He carefully weighed the mountains in his scales,
and the hills too.
13 Nobody understands the mind of the Lord .
Nobody can be his advisor,
to tell him what he should do.
14 He does not ask anyone to be his guide.
Nobody can teach him the proper way to do things.
Nobody can give him knowledge.
Nobody can teach him how to understand things.
15 The Lord looks at the nations
as if they are a little bit of water in a bucket.
They are like dust on his scales.
He weighs the islands as he would weigh dust.
16 All the trees from Lebanon's forests are not enough
to make a fire for his altar.
All its animals are not enough to offer to him
as burnt offerings.
17 All the nations in the world are not important to the Lord .
He sees them as empty and useless.
18 You cannot find anyone else who is like God.
There is no image that you can make to be like him.
19 A worker may use special skill to make an idol.
Another worker may cover it with gold.
He may use silver chains to make it beautiful.
20 A poor person may choose special wood for his idol.
He chooses wood that will not quickly become spoiled.
Then he finds a worker to make an idol for him.
He makes it so that it will not fall over!
21 You must surely know what is true!
You must have heard about it.
Somebody must have told you these things
from the beginning.
You should have understood it all
since the time that God made the earth.
22 God sits high above on his throne
where the earth and the sky meet.
The people on the earth seem like grasshoppers to him.
He hangs out the sky like a curtain.
He makes it like a tent for him to live in.
23 He takes away the power of kings.
He causes the rulers of the world to be useless.
24 They are like plants that soon disappear.
Somebody plants them in the ground.
But while their roots are still growing into the soil,
God blows on them and they become dry.
Then the wind carries them away like straw.
25 The Holy God says,
‘You cannot find anyone who is like me.
Nobody is the same as me.’
26 Look up at the sky!
Think about the one who made all the stars.
God is the one who brought together that great army!
He knows how many they are
and he knows each of their names!
When he calls them, each one is there,
because he is so strong and powerful.
27 You Israelites, descendants of Jacob, say,
‘The Lord does not know about our troubles.
He does not bring justice to us.’
Why do you say that?
28 You must surely know what is true!
You must have heard about it.
The Lord is the God who lives for ever.
He made the whole earth, near and far.
He never becomes tired or weak.
He knows and he understands everything.
29 He makes tired people strong again.
When people have become weak,
he gives them more strength.
30 Even young people become tired and weak.
Even strong young men may slip and fall down.
31 But people who wait for the Lord to help them
will receive new strength.
They will rise up high,
as if they have the wings of eagles.
They will run and they will not become tired.
They will walk and they will not become weak.
40 Your God says,
“Comfort, comfort my people.
2 Speak kindly to Jerusalem and tell her,
‘Your time of service is finished.
You have paid the price for your sins.’
I, the Lord , have punished you twice
for every sin you committed.”
3 Listen, there is someone shouting:
“Prepare a way in the desert for the Lord .
Make a straight road there for our God.
4 Every valley must be filled.
Every mountain and hill should be made flat.
The crooked roads should be made straight,
and the rough ground made smooth.
5 Then the Glory of the Lord will be shown to everyone.
Together, all people will see it.
Yes, this is what the Lord himself said!”
6 A voice said, “Speak!”
So the man said, “What should I say?”
The voice said, “People are like grass.
Any glory they enjoy is like a wildflower.
7 When a wind from the Lord blows on them,
the grass dies and the flower falls.
Yes, all people are like grass.
8 Grass dies and flowers fall,
but the word of our God lasts forever.”
9 Zion, you have good news to tell.
Go up on a high mountain and shout the good news.
Jerusalem, you have good news to tell.
Don’t be afraid; speak loudly.
Tell this news to all the cities of Judah:
“Look, here is your God!”
10 The Lord God is coming with power.
He will use his power to rule all the people.
He will bring rewards for his people.
He will have their payment with him.
11 Like a good shepherd, he takes care of his people.
He gathers them like lambs in his arms.
He holds them close, while their mothers walk beside him.
12 Who measured the oceans in the palm of his hand?
Who used his hand to measure the sky?
Who used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth?
Who used scales to measure the mountains and hills?
13 Who could know the Lord ’s mind?
Who could be his teacher or give him advice?
14 Did the Lord ask for anyone’s help?
Did anyone teach him to be fair?
Did anyone teach him knowledge?
Did anyone teach him to be wise?
15 Look, all the nations in the world are like one small drop in the bucket.
If the Lord took all the faraway nations and put them on his scales,
they would be like small pieces of dust.
16 All the trees in Lebanon are not enough
to burn on the altar for the Lord.
And all the animals in Lebanon
are not enough to kill for a sacrifice.
17 Compared to God, all the nations of the world are nothing.
Compared to him, they are worth nothing at all.
18 Can you compare God to anything?
Can you make a picture of God?
19 No, but some people make statues from rock or wood,
and they call them gods.
One worker makes a statue.
Then another worker covers it with gold and makes silver chains for it.
20 For the base he chooses special wood,
a kind of wood that will not rot.
Then he finds a good wood worker,
and the worker makes a “god” that will not fall over.
21 Surely you know the truth, don’t you?
Surely you have heard.
Surely someone told you long ago.
Surely you understand who made the earth.
22 It is the Lord who sits above the circle of the earth.
And compared to him, people are like grasshoppers.
He rolled open the skies like a piece of cloth.
He stretched out the skies like a tent to sit under.
23 He takes away the power of rulers.
He makes the world’s leaders completely worthless.
24 They are like plants that are planted in the ground.
But before they can send their roots into the ground,
God blows on the “plants”;
they become dead and dry,
and the wind blows them away like straw.
25 The Holy One says, “Can you compare me to anyone?
No one is equal to me.”
26 Look up to the skies.
Who created all those stars?
Who created all those “armies” in the sky?
Who knows every star by name?
He is very strong and powerful,
so not one of these stars is lost.
27 People of Jacob, this is true.
Israel, you should believe it.
So why do you say, “The Lord cannot see the way I live;
he will not find me and punish me” [ a ] ?
28 Surely you know the truth.
Surely you have heard.
The Lord is the God who lives forever!
He created all the faraway places on earth.
He does not get tired and weary.
You cannot learn all he knows.
29 He helps tired people be strong.
He gives power to those without it.
30 Young men get tired and need to rest.
Even young boys stumble and fall.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again.
They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. [ b ]
They will run and not get weak.
They will walk and not get tired.
40 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord 's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord , make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord , or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted 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 the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.
21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord , and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord , the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
40 “ ( A ) Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “ ( B ) Speak [ a ] kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [ b ] ( C ) warfare has ended,
That her [ c ] ( D ) guilt has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord ’ s hand
( E ) Double for all her sins.”
3 ( F ) The voice of one calling out,
“ ( G ) Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make [ d ] straight 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 uneven ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [ e ] Then the ( H ) glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And ( I ) all flesh will see it together;
For the ( J ) mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [ f ] he answered, “What shall I call out?”
( K ) All flesh is grass, and all its [ g ] loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The ( L ) grass withers, the flower fades,
[ h ] When the ( M ) breath of the Lord blows upon it;
The people are indeed grass!
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But ( N ) the word of our God stands forever.
9 Go up on a ( O ) high mountain,
Zion, messenger of ( P ) good news,
Raise your voice forcefully,
Jerusalem, messenger of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the ( Q ) cities of Judah,
“ ( R ) Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord [ i ] God will come ( S ) with might,
With His ( T ) arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His ( U ) compensation is with Him,
And His reward before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will ( V ) tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in the fold of His robe;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes .
12 Who has ( W ) measured the [ j ] waters in the hollow of His hand,
And measured the heavens with a [ k ] span,
And [ l ] calculated the dust of the earth with a measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 ( X ) Who has [ m ] directed the Spirit of the Lord ,
Or as His ( Y ) counselor has informed Him?
14 ( Z ) With whom did He consult and who ( AA ) gave 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 ( AB ) nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of ( AC ) dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the [ n ] islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to [ o ] burn,
Nor its ( AD ) animals enough for a burnt offering.
17 ( AE ) All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and [ p ] meaningless.
18 ( AF ) To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the [ q ] ( AG ) idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith ( AH ) plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a ( AI ) tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To [ r ] prepare [ s ] an idol that ( AJ ) will not totter.
21 ( AK ) Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood ( AL ) from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [ t ] sits above the [ u ] ( AM ) circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like ( AN ) grasshoppers,
Who ( AO ) stretches out the heavens like a ( AP ) curtain
And spreads them out like a ( AQ ) tent to live in.
23 It is He who reduces ( AR ) rulers to nothing,
Who ( AS ) makes the judges of the earth [ v ] meaningless.
24 [ w ] Scarcely have they been planted,
[ x ] Scarcely have they been sown,
[ y ] Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the ( AT ) storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “ ( AU ) To whom then will you compare Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 ( AV ) Raise your eyes on high
And see ( AW ) who has created these stars ,
The ( AX ) One who brings out their [ z ] multitude by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the ( AY ) greatness of His might and the [ aa ] strength of His power,
( AZ ) Not one of them is missing.
27 ( BA ) Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel,
“My way is ( BB ) hidden from the Lord ,
And the ( BC ) justice due me [ ab ] escapes the notice of ( BD ) my God”?
28 ( BE ) Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The ( BF ) Everlasting God, the Lord , the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is ( BG ) unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the ( BH ) weary,
And to the one who lacks might He ( BI ) increases power.
30 Though ( BJ ) youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous ( BK ) young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [ ac ] wait for the Lord
Will ( BL ) gain new strength;
They will [ ad ] ( BM ) mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
40 Comfort, comfort ( A ) my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly ( B ) to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service ( C ) has been completed, ( D )
that her sin has been paid for, ( E )
that she has received from the Lord ’s hand
double ( F ) for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way ( G ) for the Lord [ a ] ;
make straight ( H ) in the desert
a highway for our God. [ b ] ( I )
4 Every valley shall be raised up, ( J )
every mountain and hill ( K ) made low;
the rough ground shall become level, ( L )
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory ( M ) of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together. ( N )
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ( O )
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, ( P )
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers ( Q ) and the flowers fall,
because the breath ( R ) of the Lord blows ( S ) on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers ( T ) fall,
but the word ( U ) of our God endures ( V ) forever. ( W ) ”
9 You who bring good news ( X ) to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem, [ c ] ( Y )
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!” ( Z )
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes ( AA ) with power, ( AB )
and he rules ( AC ) with a mighty arm. ( AD )
See, his reward ( AE ) is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: ( AF )
He gathers the lambs in his arms ( AG )
and carries them close to his heart; ( AH )
he gently leads ( AI ) those that have young. ( AJ )
12 Who has measured the waters ( AK ) in the hollow of his hand, ( AL )
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? ( AM )
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance? ( AN )
13 Who can fathom the Spirit [ d ] ( AO ) of the Lord ,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor? ( AP )
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge, ( AQ )
or showed him the path of understanding? ( AR )
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales; ( AS )
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. ( AT )
16 Lebanon ( AU ) is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals ( AV ) enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations ( AW ) are as nothing; ( AX )
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing. ( AY )
18 With whom, then, will you compare God? ( AZ )
To what image ( BA ) will you liken him?
19 As for an idol, ( BB ) a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith ( BC ) overlays it with gold ( BD )
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood ( BE ) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol ( BF ) that will not topple. ( BG )
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard? ( BH )
Has it not been told ( BI ) you from the beginning? ( BJ )
Have you not understood ( BK ) since the earth was founded? ( BL )
22 He sits enthroned ( BM ) above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers. ( BN )
He stretches out the heavens ( BO ) like a canopy, ( BP )
and spreads them out like a tent ( BQ ) to live in. ( BR )
23 He brings princes ( BS ) to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. ( BT )
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root ( BU ) in the ground,
than he blows ( BV ) on them and they wither, ( BW )
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. ( BX )
25 “To whom will you compare me? ( BY )
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ( BZ )
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: ( CA )
Who created ( CB ) all these?
He who brings out the starry host ( CC ) one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, ( CD )
not one of them is missing. ( CE )
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord ;
my cause is disregarded by my God”? ( CF )
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard? ( CG )
The Lord is the everlasting ( CH ) God,
the Creator ( CI ) of the ends of the earth. ( CJ )
He will not grow tired or weary, ( CK )
and his understanding no one can fathom. ( CL )
29 He gives strength ( CM ) to the weary ( CN )
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men ( CO ) stumble and fall; ( CP )
31 but those who hope ( CQ ) in the Lord
will renew their strength. ( CR )
They will soar on wings like eagles; ( CS )
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. ( CT )
