Isaiah 40
40
1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God#GodHebrew: Elohim 2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her time of suffering is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.
3The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for our God#GodHebrew: Elohim 4Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places a plain. 5And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken. 6A voice saith, Cry. And he saith, What shall I cry? — All flesh is grass, and all the comeliness thereof as the flower of the field. 7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, for the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God#GodHebrew: Elohim abideth for ever.
9O Zion, that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into a high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God#GodHebrew: Elohim 10Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with might, and his arm shall rule for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompence before him. 11He will feed his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom; he will gently lead those that give suck.
12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with his span, and grasped the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in scales? 13Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and, as his counsellor, hath taught him? 14With whom took he counsel, and who gave him intelligence, and instructed him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding? 15Behold, the nations are esteemed as a drop of the bucket, and as the fine dust on the scales; behold, he taketh up the isles as an atom. 16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering. 17All the nations are as nothing before him; they are esteemed by him less than a cipher, and vanity.
18To whom then will ye liken ·God#GodHebrew: El and what likeness will ye compare unto him? 19The workman casteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains for it. 20He that is impoverished, so that he hath no offering, chooseth a tree that doth not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilled workman to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved. 21— Do ye not know? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood the foundation of the earth? 22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a gauze curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; 23that bringeth the princes to nothing, that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely hath their stock taken root in the earth, but he also bloweth upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble. 25To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26Lift up your eyes on high, and see! Who hath created these things, bringing out their host by number? He calleth them all by name; through the greatness of his might and strength of power, not one faileth.
27Why sayest thou, Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and my right is passed away from my God#GodHebrew: Elohim 28Dost thou not know, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God#GodHebrew: Elohim Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not nor tireth? There is no searching of his understanding. 29He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and shall tire, and the young men shall stumble and fall; 31but they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not tire; they shall walk, and not faint.
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Isaiah 40: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 40
40
Promise of Salvation
1#The “voices” of vv. 3, 6 are members of the heavenly court addressing the prophet; then v. 1 can be understood as the Lord addressing them. It is also possible to translate, with the Vulgate, “Comfort, give comfort, O my people” (i.e., the exiles are called to comfort Jerusalem). The juxtaposition of “my people” and “your God” recalls the covenant formulary. Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service#Service: servitude (cf. Jb 7:1) and exile. has ended,
that her guilt is expiated,
That she has received from the hand of the Lord
double for all her sins.
3A voice proclaims:#A description of the return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem (Zion). The language used here figuratively describes the way the exiles will take. The Lord leads them, so their way lies straight across the wilderness rather than along the well-watered routes usually followed from Mesopotamia to Israel. Mt 3:3 and gospel parallels adapt these verses to the witness of John the Baptizer to Jesus.
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!#Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 2:27; Jn 1:23.
4Every valley shall be lifted up,
every mountain and hill made low;
The rugged land shall be a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
6A voice says, “Proclaim!”
I answer, “What shall I proclaim?”
“All flesh is grass,
and all their loyalty like the flower of the field.#Jb 8:12; 14:2; Ps 37:2; Sir 14:18; Jas 1:10; 1 Pt 1:24.
7The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it.”
“Yes, the people is grass!
8The grass withers, the flower wilts,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
9Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of good news!#Herald of good news: i.e., of the imminent restoration of the people to their land. This theme of the proclamation of the good news occurs elsewhere in Second Isaiah; cf. also 41:27; 52:7.
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Cry out, do not fear!
Say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
10Here comes with power
the Lord God,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
11Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
leading the ewes with care.#Is 49:9–10; 63:11; Ez 34:23; 37:24; Jn 10:11.
Power of God and the Vanity of Idols
12Who has measured with his palm the waters,
marked off the heavens with a span,
held in his fingers the dust of the earth,
weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?#The implicit answer is “the hand of the Lord” (v. 2). Waters…heavens…earth: together form the universe; cf. Gn 1:1–2. Span: the distance between the extended little finger and the thumb. Fingers: lit., “three fingers” (i.e., thumb, index, and middle).
13Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or instructed him as his counselor?#Wis 9:13; Rom 11:34; 1 Cor 2:16; Jb 38:1–11.
14Whom did he consult to gain knowledge?
Who taught him the path of judgment,
or showed him the way of understanding?
15See, the nations count as a drop in the bucket,
as a wisp of cloud on the scales;
the coastlands weigh no more than a speck.#Drop…wisp of cloud…a speck: the smallest constituent parts of the cosmic waters, heavens, and earth mentioned in v. 12.
16Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,#Lebanon…fuel: the famed cedars would not be enough to keep the fires of sacrifice burning.
nor its animals be enough for burnt offerings.
17Before him all the nations are as nought,
as nothing and void he counts them.
18To whom can you liken God?#Acts 17:29.
With what likeness can you confront him?
19An idol? An artisan casts it,
the smith plates it with gold,
fits it with silver chains.#Chains: needed to hold the idol steady when carried in processions; cf. v. 20; Jer 10:4. #Ps 115:4–7; Jer 10:4.
20Is mulberry wood the offering?
A skilled artisan picks out
a wood that will not rot,
Seeks to set up for himself
an idol that will not totter.#Is 44:13.
21Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Was it not told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the founding of the earth?
22The one who is enthroned above the vault of the earth,
its inhabitants like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a veil
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,#Ps 104:2.
23Who brings princes to nought
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely their stem rooted in the earth,
When he breathes upon them and they wither,
and the stormwind carries them away like straw.
25To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
26Lift up your eyes on high
and see who created#Created: see note on Gn 1:1–2:3. By name: for he is their Creator. these:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!#Ps 147:4–5.
27Why, O Jacob, do you say,#The exiles, here called Jacob-Israel (Gn 32:29), must not give way to discouragement: their Lord is the eternal God.
and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is God from of old,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
29He gives power to the faint,
abundant strength to the weak.
30Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
31They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength,
they will soar on eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc