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Isaiah · World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)

Isaiah 40 World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)

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  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Majority (Byzantine) text
  • All books (ecumenical)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 2020
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (1)
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
RV1909 Reina-Valera 1909
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
1 CONSOLAOS, consolaos, pueblo mío, dice vuestro Dios.
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.”
2 Hablad al corazón de Jerusalem: decidle á voces que su tiempo es ya cumplido, que su pecado es perdonado; que doble ha recibido de la mano de Jehová por todos sus pecados.
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.
3 Voz que clama en el desierto: Barred camino á Jehová: enderezad calzada en la soledad á nuestro Dios.
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.
4 Todo valle sea alzado, y bájese todo monte y collado; y lo torcido se enderece, y lo áspero se allane.
5 Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
5 Y manifestaráse la gloria de Jehová, y toda carne juntamente la verá; que la boca de Jehová habló.
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.
6 Voz que decía: Da voces. Y [yo] respondí: ¿Qué tengo de decir á voces? Toda carne es hierba, y toda su gloria como flor del campo:
7 The grass withers, the flower fades, because Yahweh’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.
7 La hierba se seca, y la flor se cae; porque el viento de Jehová sopló en ella: ciertamente hierba es el pueblo.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever.”
8 Sécase la hierba, cáese la flor: mas la palabra del Dios nuestro permanece para siempre.
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!”
9 Súbete sobre un monte alto, anunciadora de Sión; levanta fuertemente tu voz, anunciadora de Jerusalem; levántala, no temas; di á las ciudades de Judá: ¡Veis aquí el Dios vuestro!
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.
10 He aquí que el Señor Jehová vendrá con fortaleza, y su brazo se enseñoreará: he aquí que su salario viene con él, y su obra delante de su rostro.
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.
11 Como pastor apacentará su rebaño; en su brazo cogerá los corderos, y en su seno los llevará; pastoreará suavemente las paridas.
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?
12 ¿Quién midió las aguas con su puño, y aderezó los cielos con su palmo, y con tres dedos allegó el polvo de la tierra, y pesó los montes con balanza, y con peso los collados?
13 Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit, or has taught him as his counselor?
13 ¿Quién enseñó al espíritu de Jehová, ó le aconsejo enseñándole?
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?
14 ¿A quién demandó consejo para ser avisado? ¿Quién le enseñó el camino del juicio, ó le enseñó ciencia, ó le mostró la senda de la prudencia?
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.
15 He aquí que las naciones son reputadas como la gota de un acetre, y como el orín del peso: he aquí que hace desaparecer las islas como polvo.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
16 Ni el Líbano bastará para el fuego, ni todos sus animales para el sacrificio.
17 All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
17 Como nada son todas las gentes delante de él; y en su comparación serán estimadas en menos que nada, y que lo que no es.
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?
18 ¿A qué pues haréis semejante á Dios, ó qué imagen le compondréis?
19 A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.
19 El artífice apareja la imagen de talla, el platero le extiende el oro, y le funde cadenas de plata.
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.
20 El pobre escoge, para ofrecerle, madera que no se corrompa; búscase un maestro sabio, que le haga una imagen de talla que no se mueva.
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?
21 ¿No sabéis? ¿no habéis oído? ¿nunca os lo han dicho desde el principio? ¿no habéis sido enseñados desde que la tierra se fundó?
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,
22 El está asentado sobre el globo de la tierra, cuyos moradores son como langostas: él extiende los cielos como una cortina, tiéndelos como una tienda para morar:
23 who brings princes to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
23 El torna en nada los poderosos, y á los que gobiernan la tierra hace como cosa vana.
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.
24 Como si nunca fueran plantados, como si nunca fueran sembrados, como si nunca su tronco hubiera tenido raíz en la tierra; así que sopla en ellos se secan, y el torbellino los lleva como hojarascas.
25 “To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
25 ¿A qué pues me haréis semejante, ó seré asimilado? dice el Santo.
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.
26 Levantad en alto vuestros ojos, y mirad quién crió estas cosas: él saca por cuenta su ejército: á todas llama por sus nombres; ninguna faltará: [tal] es la grandeza de su fuerza, y [su] poder y virtud.
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”?
27 ¿Por qué dices, oh Jacob, y hablas tú, Israel: Mi camino es escondido de Jehová, y de mi Dios pasó mi juicio?
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.
28 ¿No has sabido, no has oído que el Dios del siglo es Jehová, el cual crió los términos de la tierra? No se trabaja, ni se fatiga con cansancio, y su entendimiento no hay quien lo alcance.
29 He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
29 El da esfuerzo al cansado, y multiplica las fuerzas al que no tiene ningunas.
30 Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;
30 Los mancebos se fatigan y se cansan, los mozos flaquean y caen:
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.
31 Mas los que esperan á Jehová tendrán nuevas fuerzas; levantarán las alas como águilas; correrán, y no se cansarán; caminarán, y no se fatigarán.
Cross references (31)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 2 Corinthians 1:4; Isaiah 51:12; Isaiah 51:3; Zephaniah 3:14–17; Zechariah 1:13
  2. 2 Zechariah 9:12; Isaiah 61:7; Hosea 2:14; Jeremiah 33:8–9; Revelation 18:6
  3. 3 Malachi 3:1; Mark 1:2–5; John 1:23; Matthew 3:1–3; Luke 1:16–17
  4. 4 Luke 3:5; Ezekiel 21:26; Luke 18:14; Isaiah 42:15–16; Isaiah 45:2
  5. 5 Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 52:10; Joel 2:28; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Luke 3:6
  6. 6 Psalm 103:15–16; 1 Peter 1:24–25; Psalm 102:11; James 1:10–11; Job 14:2
  7. 7 Job 41:21
  8. 8 Mark 13:31; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25; Psalm 119:89–91; Matthew 5:18
  9. 9 Isaiah 52:7–8; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 25:9; Isaiah 61:1
  10. 10 Revelation 22:12; Isaiah 62:11; Revelation 17:14; Matthew 28:18; Isaiah 49:4
  11. 11 Revelation 7:17; Psalm 23:1–6; Micah 5:4; Ezekiel 34:23; John 10:11–16
  12. 12 Proverbs 30:4; Hebrews 1:10–12; Psalm 102:25–26; Job 38:4–11; Isaiah 48:13
  13. 13 1 Corinthians 2:16; Romans 11:34; Job 36:22–23; Job 21:22; Luke 10:22
  14. 14 Job 21:22; Colossians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 12:4–6; James 1:17
  15. 15 Jeremiah 10:10; Isaiah 40:22; Job 34:14–15; Isaiah 29:5; Isaiah 11:11
  16. 16 Micah 6:6–7; Psalm 50:9–12; Psalm 40:6; Hebrews 10:5–10
  17. 17 Psalm 62:9; Daniel 4:34–35; Isaiah 29:7
  18. 18 Isaiah 46:5; 1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 40:25; Exodus 15:11; Acts 17:29
  19. 19 Jeremiah 10:9; Isaiah 46:6–7; Exodus 32:2–4; Habakkuk 2:18–19; Psalm 115:4–8
  20. 20 Jeremiah 10:3–4; Isaiah 41:7; Isaiah 46:7; Isaiah 2:8–9; Daniel 5:23
  21. 21 Isaiah 46:8; Isaiah 48:13; Acts 14:17; Romans 1:19–21; Psalm 50:6
  22. 22 Proverbs 8:27; Isaiah 42:5; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 66:1; Jeremiah 10:12
  23. 23 Psalm 107:40; Job 12:21; Jeremiah 25:18–27; Isaiah 34:12; Isaiah 24:21–22
  24. 24 Isaiah 41:16; Isaiah 17:13; Jeremiah 23:19; Haggai 1:9; Proverbs 1:27
  25. 25 Isaiah 40:18; Deuteronomy 4:15–18; Deuteronomy 4:33; Deuteronomy 5:8
  26. 26 Colossians 1:16–17; Jeremiah 32:17–19; Isaiah 48:13; Isaiah 51:6; Psalm 147:4–5
  27. 27 Isaiah 49:4; Luke 18:7–8; Isaiah 49:14; Job 27:2
  28. 28 Romans 11:33–34; Psalm 147:5; 1 Timothy 1:17; Isaiah 55:8–9; Philippians 1:6
  29. 29 Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Colossians 1:11; Zechariah 10:12
  30. 30 Amos 2:14; Psalm 34:10; Psalm 33:16; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Isaiah 9:17
  31. 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).

  1. Quotes verse 40:10 Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Chapters XXXIV–XXXIX)

    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.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 40:12 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter XVIII)

    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.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  3. Quotes verse 40:6–8 Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (Book XIII, Chapters XII–XV)

    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)

  4. Quotes verse 40:3 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily X)

    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)

  5. Quotes verse 40:3 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture III)

    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)