40
The Greatness of God
AComfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
ASpeak 1kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her 2Bwarfare has ended,
That her 3Ciniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the Loʀᴅ’s hand
DDouble for all her sins.”
 
AA voice 1is calling,
BClear the way for the Loʀᴅ in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
“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;
1Then the Aglory of the Loʀᴅ will be revealed,
And Ball flesh will see it together;
For the Cmouth of the Loʀᴅ has spoken.”
A voice says, “Call out.”
Then 1he answered, “What shall I call out?”
AAll flesh is grass, and all its 2loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The Agrass withers, the flower fades,
1When the Bbreath of the Loʀᴅ blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But Athe word of our God stands forever.
 
Get yourself up on a Ahigh mountain,
O Zion, bearer of Bgood news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the Ccities of Judah,
DHere is your God!”
10  Behold, the Lord 1Goᴅ will come Awith might,
With His Barm ruling for Him.
Behold, His Creward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will Atend 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 Ameasured the 1waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the 2span,
And 3calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13  AWho has 1directed the Spirit of the Loʀᴅ,
Or as His Bcounselor has informed Him?
14  AWith whom did He consult and who Bgave 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 Anations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of Bdust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the 1islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its Abeasts enough for a burnt offering.
17  AAll the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and 1meaningless.
 
18  ATo whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19  As for the 1Aidol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith Bplates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a Atree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To 1prepare 2an idol that Bwill not totter.
 
21  ADo you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood Bfrom the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who 1sits above the 2Acircle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like Bgrasshoppers,
Who Cstretches out the heavens like a Dcurtain
And spreads them out like a Etent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces Arulers to nothing,
Who Bmakes the judges of the earth 1meaningless.
24  1Scarcely have they been planted,
1Scarcely have they been sown,
1Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the Astorm carries them away like stubble.
25 ATo whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26  ALift up your eyes on high
And see Bwho has created these stars,
The COne who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the Dgreatness of His might and the 1strength of His power,
ENot one of them is missing.
 
27  AWhy do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is Bhidden from the Loʀᴅ,
And the Cjustice due me 1escapes the notice of Dmy God”?
28  ADo you not know? Have you not heard?
The BEverlasting God, the Loʀᴅ, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is Cinscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the Aweary,
And to him who lacks might He Bincreases power.
30 Though Ayouths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous Byoung men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who 1wait for the Loʀᴅ
Will Again new strength;
They will 2Bmount up with 3wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
A 40:1 Is 12:1; 49:13; 51:3, 12; 52:9; 61:2; 66:13; Jer 31:10-14; Zeph 3:14-17; 2 Cor 1:4 A 40:2 Is 35:4; Zech 1:13 1 40:2 Lit to the heart of 2 40:2 Or hard service B 40:2 Is 41:11-13; 49:25; 54:15, 17 3 40:2 Or penalty of iniquity accepted as paid off C 40:2 Is 33:24; 53:5, 6, 11 D 40:2 Jer 16:18; Zech 9:12; Rev 18:6 A 40:3 Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23 1 40:3 Or of one calling out B 40:3 Mal 3:1; 4:5, 6 1 40:5 Or In order that the A 40:5 Is 6:3; Hab 2:14 B 40:5 Is 52:10; Joel 2:28 C 40:5 Is 1:20; 34:16; 58:14 1 40:6 Another reading is I said A 40:6 Job 14:2; Ps 102:11; 103:15; 1 Pet 1:24, 25 2 40:6 Or constancy A 40:7 Ps 90:5, 6; James 1:10, 11 1 40:7 Or Because B 40:7 Job 4:9; 41:21; Is 11:4; 40:24 A 40:8 Is 55:11; 59:21; Matt 5:18 A 40:9 Is 52:7 B 40:9 Is 61:1 C 40:9 Is 44:26 D 40:9 Is 25:9; 35:2 1 40:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Loʀᴅ A 40:10 Is 9:6, 7 B 40:10 Is 59:16, 18 C 40:10 Is 62:11; Rev 22:12 A 40:11 Jer 31:10; Ezek 34:12-14, 23, 31; Mic 5:4; John 10:11, 14-16 A 40:12 Job 38:8-11; Ps 102:25, 26; Is 48:13; Heb 1:10-12 1 40:12 DSS reads waters of the sea 2 40:12 Or half cubit; i.e. 9 in. 3 40:12 Lit contained or comprehended A 40:13 Rom 11:34; 1 Cor 2:16 1 40:13 Or measured, marked off B 40:13 Is 41:28 A 40:14 Job 38:4 B 40:14 Job 21:22; Col 2:3 A 40:15 Jer 10:10 B 40:15 Is 17:13; 29:5 1 40:15 Or coastlands A 40:16 Ps 50:9-11; Mic 6:6, 7; Heb 10:5-9 A 40:17 Is 29:7 1 40:17 Or void A 40:18 Ex 8:10; 15:11; 1 Sam 2:2; Is 40:25; 46:5; Mic 7:18; Acts 17:29 1 40:19 Or graven image A 40:19 Ps 115:4-8; Is 41:7; 44:10; Hab 2:18, 19 B 40:19 Is 2:20; 30:22 A 40:20 Is 44:14 1 40:20 Or set up 2 40:20 Or a graven image B 40:20 1 Sam 5:3, 4; Is 41:7; 46:7 A 40:21 Ps 19:1; 50:6; Is 37:26; Acts 14:17; Rom 1:19 B 40:21 Is 48:13; 51:13 1 40:22 Or is enthroned 2 40:22 Or vault A 40:22 Job 22:14; Prov 8:27 B 40:22 Num 13:33 C 40:22 Job 9:8; Is 37:16; 42:5; 44:24 D 40:22 Ps 104:2 E 40:22 Job 36:29; Ps 18:11; 19:4 A 40:23 Job 12:21; Ps 107:40; Is 34:12 B 40:23 Is 5:21; Jer 25:18-27 1 40:23 Or void 1 40:24 Or Not even 1 40:24 Or Not even 1 40:24 Or Not even A 40:24 Is 17:13; 41:16 A 40:25 Is 40:18 A 40:26 Is 51:6 B 40:26 Is 42:5; 48:12, 13 C 40:26 Ps 147:4 D 40:26 Ps 89:11-13 1 40:26 So DSS and ancient versions; M.T. strong E 40:26 Is 34:16; 48:13 A 40:27 Is 49:4, 14 B 40:27 Is 54:8 C 40:27 Job 27:2; 34:5; Luke 18:7, 8 1 40:27 Lit passes by my God D 40:27 Is 25:1 A 40:28 Is 40:21 B 40:28 Gen 21:33; Ps 90:2 C 40:28 Ps 147:5; Rom 11:33 A 40:29 Is 50:4; Jer 31:25 B 40:29 Is 41:10 A 40:30 Jer 6:11; 9:21 B 40:30 Is 9:17 1 40:31 Or hope in A 40:31 Job 17:9; Ps 103:5; 2 Cor 4:8-10, 16 2 40:31 Or sprout wings B 40:31 Ex 19:4; Deut 32:11; Luke 18:1; 2 Cor 4:1, 16; Gal 6:9; Heb 12:3 3 40:31 Or pinions