Isaiah 40–66

Comfort for God’s People

Comfort, comfort^a my people,

says your God.

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.

A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

the way^g for the Lord;

make straight^h in the desert

a highway for our God.ⁱ

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.

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

A voice says, “Cry out.”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,^p

and all human faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers^q and the flowers fall,

because the breath^r of the Lord blows^s on them.

Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers and the flowers^t fall,

but the word^u of our God endures^v forever.^w”

You who bring good news^x to Zion,

go up on a high mountain.

You who bring good news to Jerusalem,^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

See, the Sovereign Lord comes^a with power,^b

and his arm^c rules^d for him.

See, his reward^e is with him,

and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:^f

He gathers the lambs in his arms^g

and carries them close to his heart;^h

he gently leadsⁱ those that have young.^j

Who has measured the waters^k in the hollow of his hand,^l

or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?^m

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains on the scales

and the hills in a balance?ⁿ

Who can fathom the Spirit^o of the Lord,

or instruct the Lord as his counselor?^p

Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,

and who taught him the right way?

Who was it that taught him knowledge,^q

or showed him the path of understanding?^r

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

they are regarded as dust on the scales;^s

he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.^t

Lebanon^u is not sufficient for altar fires,

nor its animals^v enough for burnt offerings.

Before him all the nations^w are as nothing;^x

they are regarded by him as worthless

and less than nothing.^y

With whom, then, will you compare God?^z

To what image^a will you liken him?

As for an idol,^b a metal worker casts it,

and a goldsmith^c overlays it with gold^d

and fashions silver chains for it.

People too poor to present such an offering

select wood^e that will not rot.

They look for a skilled worker

to set up an idol^f that will not topple.^g

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?^h

Has it not been toldⁱ you from the beginning?^j

Have you not understood^k since the earth was founded?^l

He sits enthroned^m above the circle of the earth,

and its people are like grasshoppers.ⁿ

He stretches out the heavens^o like a canopy,^p

and spreads them out like a tent^q to live in.^r

He brings princes^s to naught

and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.^t

No sooner are they planted,

no sooner are they sown,

no sooner do they take root^u in the ground,

than he blows^v on them and they wither,^w

and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.^x

“To whom will you compare me?^y

Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.^z

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:^a

Who created^b all these?

He who brings out the starry host^c one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,^d

not one of them is missing.^e

Why do you complain, Jacob?

Why do you say, Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;

my cause is disregarded by my God”?^f

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?^g

The Lord is the everlasting^h God,

the Creatorⁱ of the ends of the earth.^j

He will not grow tired or weary,^k

and his understanding no one can fathom.^l

He gives strength^m to the wearyⁿ

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men^o stumble and fall;^p

but those who hope^q in the Lord

will renew their strength.^r

They will soar on wings like eagles;^s

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.^t

The Helper of Israel

“Be silent^a before me, you islands!^b

Let the nations renew their strength!^c

Let them come forward^d and speak;

let us meet together^e at the place of judgment.

“Who has stirred^f up one from the east,^g

calling him in righteousness^h to his service?ⁱ

He hands nations over to him

and subdues kings before him.

He turns them to dust^j with his sword,

to windblown chaff^k with his bow.^l

He pursues them and moves on unscathed,^m

by a path his feet have not traveled before.

Who has done this and carried it through,

callingⁿ forth the generations from the beginning?^o

I, the Lord—with the first of them

and with the last^p—I am he.^q”

The islands^r have seen it and fear;

the ends of the earth^s tremble.

They approach and come forward;

they help each other

and say to their companions, “Be strong!^t”

The metal worker^u encourages the goldsmith,^v

and the one who smooths with the hammer

spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.

One says of the welding, “It is good.”

The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.^w

“But you, Israel, my servant,^x

Jacob, whom I have chosen,^y

you descendants of Abraham^z my friend,^a

I took you from the ends of the earth,^b

from its farthest corners I called^c you.

I said, ‘You are my servant’;^d

I have chosen^e you and have not rejected you.

So do not fear,^f for I am with you;^g

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen^h you and helpⁱ you;

I will uphold you^j with my righteous right hand.^k

“All who rage^l against you

will surely be ashamed and disgraced;^m

those who opposeⁿ you

will be as nothing and perish.^o

Though you search for your enemies,

you will not find them.^p

Those who wage war against you

will be as nothing^q at all.

For I am the Lord your God

who takes hold of your right hand^r

and says to you, Do not fear;

I will help^s you.

Do not be afraid,^t you worm^u Jacob,

little Israel, do not fear,

for I myself will help^v you,” declares the Lord,

your Redeemer,^w the Holy One^x of Israel.

“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,^y

new and sharp, with many teeth.

You will thresh the mountains^z and crush them,

and reduce the hills to chaff.^a

You will winnow^b them, the wind will pick them up,

and a gale^c will blow them away.^d

But you will rejoice^e in the Lord

and glory^f in the Holy One^g of Israel.

“The poor and needy search for water,^h

but there is none;

their tongues are parched with thirst.ⁱ

But I the Lord will answer^j them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake^k them.

I will make rivers flow^l on barren heights,

and springs within the valleys.

I will turn the desert^m into pools of water,ⁿ

and the parched ground into springs.^o

I will put in the desert^p

the cedar and the acacia,^q the myrtle and the olive.

I will set junipers^r in the wasteland,

the fir and the cypress^s together,^t

so that people may see and know,^u

may consider and understand,^v

that the hand^w of the Lord has done this,

that the Holy One^x of Israel has created^y it.

“Present your case,^z” says the Lord.

“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.^a

“Tell us, you idols,

what is going to happen.^b

Tell us what the former things^c were,

so that we may consider them

and know their final outcome.

Or declare to us the things to come,^d

tell us what the future holds,

so we may know^e that you are gods.

Do something, whether good or bad,^f

so that we will be dismayed^g and filled with fear.

But you are less than nothing^h

and you can do nothing;ⁱ

those who choose you are detestable.^j

“I have stirred^k up one from the north,^l and he comes—

one from the rising sun who calls on my name.

He treads^m on rulers as if they were mortar,

as if he were a potter treading the clay.

Who told of this from the beginning,ⁿ so we could know,

or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?

No one told of this,

no one foretold^o it,

no one heard any words^p from you.

I was the first to tell^q Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’

I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.^r

I look but there is no one^s—

no one among the gods to give counsel,^t

no one to give answer^u when I ask them.

See, they are all false!

Their deeds amount to nothing;^v

their images^w are but wind^x and confusion.

The Servant of the Lord

“Here is my servant,^a whom I uphold,

my chosen one^b in whom I delight;^c

I will put my Spirit^d on him,

and he will bring justice^e to the nations.^f

He will not shout or cry out,^g

or raise his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed^h he will not break,ⁱ

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.^j

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;^k

he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice^l on earth.

In his teaching^m the islandsⁿ will put their hope.”^o

This is what God the Lord says—

he who created the heavens^p and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth^q with all that springs from it,^r

who gives breath^s to its people,

and life to those who walk on it:

“I, the Lord, have called^t you in righteousness;^u

I will take hold of your hand.^v

I will keep^w you and will make you

to be a covenant^x for the people

and a light^y for the Gentiles,^z

to open eyes that are blind,^a

to free^b captives from prison^c

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.^d

“I am the Lord;^e that is my name!^f

I will not yield my glory to another^g

or my praise to idols.^h

See, the former thingsⁱ have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce^j them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

Sing^a to the Lord a new song,^b

his praise^c from the ends of the earth,^d

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,^e

you islands,^f and all who live in them.

Let the wilderness^g and its towns raise their voices;

let the settlements where Kedar^h lives rejoice.

Let the people of Selaⁱ sing for joy;

let them shout from the mountaintops.^j

Let them give glory^k to the Lord

and proclaim his praise^l in the islands.^m

The Lord will march out like a champion,ⁿ

like a warrior^o he will stir up his zeal;^p

with a shout^q he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.^r

“For a long time I have kept silent,^s

I have been quiet and held myself back.^t

But now, like a woman in childbirth,

I cry out, I gasp and pant.^u

I will lay waste^v the mountains^w and hills

and dry…