Isaiah · Literal Standard Version
Isaiah 40 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
2 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, || That her warfare has been completed, || That her punishment has been accepted, || That she has received from the hand of YHWH || Double for all her sins.
2 “Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Yahweh’s hand double for all her sins.”
3 A voice is crying in a wilderness: “Prepare the way of YHWH, || Make straight in a desert a highway for our God.
3 The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.
4 Every valley is raised up, || And every mountain and hill become low, || And the crooked place has become a plain, || And the entangled places a valley.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of YHWH has been revealed, || And all flesh have seen [it] together, || For the mouth of YHWH has spoken.”
5 Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
6 A voice is saying, “Call,” || And he said, “What do I call?” All flesh [is] grass, and all its goodness || [Is] as a flower of the field:
6 The voice of one saying, “Cry out!” One said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field.
7 Grass has withered, the flower faded, || For the Spirit of YHWH blew on it, || Surely the people [is] grass;
7 The grass withers, the flower fades, because Yahweh’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.
8 Grass has withered, the flower faded, || But a word of our God rises forever.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever.”
9 Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, || Proclaiming tidings, || Lift up your voice with power, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, || Lift up, do not fear, say to cities of Judah, “Behold, your God.”
9 You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, your God!”
10 Behold, Lord YHWH comes with strength, || And His arm is ruling for Him, || Behold, His hire [is] with Him, and His wage before Him.
10 Behold, the Lord Yahweh will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
11 He feeds His flock as a shepherd, || He gathers lambs with His arm, || And He carries [them] in His bosom: He leads suckling ones.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, || And has meted out the heavens by a span, || And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, || And has weighed the mountains in scales, || And the hills in a balance?
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measuring basket, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has meted out the Spirit of YHWH, || And [being] His counselor, teaches Him?
13 Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit, or has taught him as his counselor?
14 With whom [did] He consult, || That he causes Him to understand? And teaches Him in the path of judgment, || And teaches Him knowledge? And causes Him to know the way of understanding?
14 Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, nations [are] as a drop from a bucket, || And have been reckoned as small dust of the balance, || Behold, He takes up islands as a small thing.
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, || Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, || Less than nothing and emptiness, || They have been reckoned to Him.
17 All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
18 And to whom do you liken God, || And what likeness do you compare to Him?
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?
19 An artisan has poured out the carved image, || And a refiner spreads it over with gold, || And he is refining chains of silver.
19 A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.
20 He who is poor [by] raised-offerings, || Chooses a tree [that is] not rotten, || He seeks a skillful artisan for it, || To establish a carved image—not moved.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up a carved image for him that will not be moved.
21 Do you not know—do you not hear? Has it not been declared from the first to you? Have you not understood || [From] the foundations of the earth?
21 Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, || And its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers, || He who is stretching out the heavens as a thin thing, || And spreads them as a tent to dwell in.
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,
23 He who is making princes become nothing, || Has made judges of earth formless;
23 who brings princes to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
24 Indeed, they have not been planted, || Indeed, they have not been sown, || Indeed, their stock is not taking root in the earth, || And He has also blown on them, and they wither, || And a whirlwind takes them away as stubble.
24 They are planted scarcely. They are sown scarcely. Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground. He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.
25 And to whom do you liken Me, || And [to whom] I equal? Says the Holy One.
25 “To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, || And see—who has created these? He who is bringing out their host by number, || He calls to all of them by name, || By the abundance of His strength || And mighty power, || Not one is lacking.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their army by number. He calls them all by name. By the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
27 Why say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way has been hid from YHWH, || And from my God my judgment passes over?”
27 Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel, “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and the justice due me is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The God of the age—YHWH, || Preparer of the ends of the earth, || Is not wearied nor fatigued, || There is no searching of His understanding.
28 Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He is giving power to the weary, || And to those not strong He increases might.
29 He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
30 Even youths are wearied and fatigued, || And young men utterly stumble,
30 Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;
31 But those expecting YHWH pass [to] power, || They raise up the pinion as eagles, || They run and are not fatigued, || They go on and do not faint!
31 but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
Cross references (31)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Corinthians 1:4; Isaiah 51:12; Isaiah 51:3; Zephaniah 3:14–17; Zechariah 1:13
- 2 Zechariah 9:12; Isaiah 61:7; Hosea 2:14; Jeremiah 33:8–9; Revelation 18:6
- 3 Malachi 3:1; Mark 1:2–5; John 1:23; Matthew 3:1–3; Luke 1:16–17
- 4 Luke 3:5; Ezekiel 21:26; Luke 18:14; Isaiah 42:15–16; Isaiah 45:2
- 5 Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 52:10; Joel 2:28; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Luke 3:6
- 6 Psalm 103:15–16; 1 Peter 1:24–25; Psalm 102:11; James 1:10–11; Job 14:2
- 7 Job 41:21
- 8 Mark 13:31; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25; Psalm 119:89–91; Matthew 5:18
- 9 Isaiah 52:7–8; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 25:9; Isaiah 61:1
- 10 Revelation 22:12; Isaiah 62:11; Revelation 17:14; Matthew 28:18; Isaiah 49:4
- 11 Revelation 7:17; Psalm 23:1–6; Micah 5:4; Ezekiel 34:23; John 10:11–16
- 12 Proverbs 30:4; Hebrews 1:10–12; Psalm 102:25–26; Job 38:4–11; Isaiah 48:13
- 13 1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 11:34; Job 36:22–23; Job 21:22; Luke 10:22
- 14 Job 21:22; Colossians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 12:4–6; James 1:17
- 15 Jeremiah 10:10; Isaiah 40:22; Job 34:14–15; Isaiah 29:5; Isaiah 11:11
- 16 Micah 6:6–7; Psalm 50:9–12; Psalm 40:6; Hebrews 10:5–10
- 17 Psalm 62:9; Daniel 4:34–35; Isaiah 29:7
- 18 Isaiah 46:5; 1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 40:25; Exodus 15:11; Acts 17:29
- 19 Jeremiah 10:9; Isaiah 46:6–7; Exodus 32:2–4; Habakkuk 2:18–19; Psalm 115:4–8
- 20 Jeremiah 10:3–4; Isaiah 41:7; Isaiah 46:7; Isaiah 2:8–9; Daniel 5:23
- 21 Isaiah 46:8; Isaiah 48:13; Acts 14:17; Romans 1:19–21; Psalm 50:6
- 22 Proverbs 8:27; Isaiah 42:5; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 66:1; Jeremiah 10:12
- 23 Psalm 107:40; Job 12:21; Jeremiah 25:18–27; Isaiah 34:12; Isaiah 24:21–22
- 24 Isaiah 41:16; Isaiah 17:13; Jeremiah 23:19; Haggai 1:9; Proverbs 1:27
- 25 Isaiah 40:18; Deuteronomy 4:15–18; Deuteronomy 4:33; Deuteronomy 5:8
- 26 Colossians 1:16–17; Jeremiah 32:17–19; Isaiah 48:13; Isaiah 51:6; Psalm 147:4–5
- 27 Isaiah 49:4; Luke 18:7–8; Isaiah 49:14; Job 27:2
- 28 Romans 11:33–34; Psalm 147:5; 1 Timothy 1:17; Isaiah 55:8–9; Philippians 1:6
- 29 Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Colossians 1:11; Zechariah 10:12
- 30 Amos 2:14; Psalm 34:10; Psalm 33:16; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Isaiah 9:17
- 31 Lamentations 3:25–26; 2 Corinthians 4:16; Psalm 27:13–14; Psalm 103:5; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And thus He forewarns us: "Behold, the Lord [cometh], and His reward is before His face, to render to every man according to his work." He exhorts us, therefore, with our whole heart to attend to this, that we be not lazy or slothful in any good work.
Ye have heard "that the heavens are meted out in the palm of [His] hand:" tell me the measure, and recount the endless multitude of cubits, explain to me the fulness, the breadth, the length, the height, the beginning and end of the measurement,--things which the heart of man understands not, neither does it comprehend them.
Because the scroll shall be rolled together, and the grass over which it was spread shall with its goodliness pass away; but Thy Word remaineth for ever, which now appeareth unto us in the dark image of the clouds, and through the glass of the heavens, not as it is; because we also, although we be the well-beloved of Thy …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
Thus the prophet saith that he shall come saying, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." And he himself when he was come said, "Bring forth fruits meet for repentance," which corresponds with, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." Seest thou that both by the words of the prophet, and by his own preaching, this …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For the voice is heard of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)