Isaiah 40

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Bring solace, bring solace to my people, declares your God with compassion.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

Speak gently to Jerusalem, tell her that her struggles are over, her wrongs are forgiven. She has received from the Lord's hand twice over for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Hear the call of the lone voice in the wilderness, pleading, "Get ready for the arrival of the LORD. Clear a path in the barren desert, make a straight road for our God."

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be brought low. The twisted paths will be straightened, and the bumpy roads will be smoothed out.

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The magnificent splendor of God will be unveiled for all to witness, as every living being will experience it collectively. This is a promise spoken directly by God Himself.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

The voice urged, "Call out!" He asked, "What should I call out?" The answer came, "All life is as fleeting as grass, and its beauty is like a field's flower.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

The grass wilts, the flower fades under God's breath: indeed, we are as fleeting as grass.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Grass may wilt, flowers may die, but God's word remains unchanging and eternal.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Zion, bearer of good news, ascend the towering mountain; Jerusalem, herald of joy, raise your voice boldly. Don't be afraid; tell the cities of Judah, "Look, your God is here!"

Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Look, our mighty God is coming, His power will govern all. See, He brings His rewards and His deeds are clear to all.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

He will lovingly care for his people as a shepherd does for his flock. He will tenderly hold the young ones close to his heart and gently guide those who are nurturing their young.

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

Who has held the oceans in the hollow of his hand, or measured the expanse of the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the earth's dust in a basket, or weighed the mountains on scales and the hills in a balance?

Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

Who has guided the Lord's Spirit, or who has been His advisor and taught Him?

With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

Who guided and taught him, showing him the path of wisdom and understanding?

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

Look, all the nations are but a tiny droplet in a vast bucket, merely specks of dust on a scale. See, even the vast islands are nothing more than a small pebble in His mighty hand.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

Even the vast forests of Lebanon can't provide enough wood for the fire, nor its countless creatures enough for the sacrifice.

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

In His eyes, all countries are insignificant; to Him, they are less than nothing, mere illusions.

To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

Who can you compare to God? What image can truly represent Him?

The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

A craftsman passionately shapes an idol, the goldsmith lovingly coats it with gold, and skillfully forges silver chains.

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

A person so poor that they can't offer anything, picks a tree that won't decay. They look for a skilled craftsman to carve an idol that won't topple.

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Hasn't the story been shared since the start? Haven't you grasped the essence of life since the world's creation?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

He who sits above the world, sees us as tiny as grasshoppers. He unfurls the heavens like a curtain, spreading them wide as a sheltering tent.

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

He reduces rulers to insignificance; He renders the world's judges meaningless.

Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

Indeed, they won't be able to grow or even be sown. Their roots won't find a home in the earth. A mere breath from him will cause them to wither, and they'll be swept away like chaff in a storm.

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

Who can you compare me to, or consider my equal? Asks the Divine One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Look up to the sky and see who created all these wonders. He knows each one by name and guides them, showing his immense power and strength. None of them are forgotten or lost.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Why do you think, Jacob, and feel, Israel, that God doesn't see your path or acknowledge your struggles?

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The eternal God, our Lord, who created everything, never tires or grows weary. His wisdom is beyond our comprehension.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

He provides strength to the weary; and for the powerless, he amplifies their courage.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

Even the strongest young ones may tire and stumble, and even the most vigorous may completely collapse.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Those who patiently trust in God will find their energy restored; they will soar high like eagles, run without growing tired, and walk without losing breath.