Isa 40 | NASB2020 | STEP | “ Comfort , comfort My people ,” says your God .

‏ Isaiah 40

The Greatness of God

1 “ ^aComfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “ ^bSpeak ^{▼▼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 guilt accepted as paid off} ^gguilt has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
^hDouble for all her sins.”

3 ⁱThe voice of one calling out,
“ ^jClear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make ^{▼▼Or smooth}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 ^{▼▼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;
The people are indeed grass!
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But ^vthe word of our God stands forever.

9 Go up on a ^whigh mountain,
Zion, messenger of ^xgood news,
Raise your voice forcefully,
Jerusalem, messenger of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the ^ycities of Judah,
“ ^zHere 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 ^adcompensation is with Him,
And His reward before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will ^aetend 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 ^afmeasured the ^{▼▼DSS reads waters of the sea}waters in the hollow of His hand,
And measured the heavens with a ^{▼▼Or half cubit (9 in. or 22.8 cm)}span,
And ^{▼▼Lit contained; or comprehended}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 ^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 ^{▼▼I.e., for fire on an altar}burn,
Nor its ^asanimals enough for a burnt offering.
17 ^atAll the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and ^{▼▼Or void}meaningless.

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

21 ^bdDo you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood ^befrom the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who ^{▼▼Or is enthroned}sits above the ^{▼▼Or vault} ^bhcircle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like ^bigrasshoppers,
Who ^bjstretches out the heavens like a ^bkcurtain
And spreads them out like a ^bltent to live in.
23 It is He who reduces ^bmrulers to nothing,
Who ^bnmakes 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 ^bsstorm carries them away like stubble.
25 “ ^btTo whom then will you compare Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 ^buRaise your eyes on high
And see ^bvwho has created these stars,
The ^bwOne who brings out their ^{▼▼Lit host}multitude by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the ^bygreatness of His might and the ^{▼▼As in DSS and ancient versions; MT strong}strength of His power,
^caNot one of them is missing.

27 ^cbWhy do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel,
“My way is ^cchidden from the Lord,
And the ^cdjustice due me ^{▼▼Lit passes by my God}escapes the notice of ^cfmy God”?
28 ^cgDo you not know? Have you not heard?
The ^chEverlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is ^ciunsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the ^cjweary,
And to the one who lacks might He ^ckincreases power.
30 Though ^clyouths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous ^cmyoung men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who ^{▼▼Or hope in}wait for the Lord
Will ^cogain new strength;
They will ^{▼▼Or sprout wings} ^cqmount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.