Isaiah 40 : 1 (NCV)
Your God says, "Comfort, comfort my people.
Isaiah 40 : 2 (NCV)
Speak kindly to the people of Jerusalem and tell them that their time of service is finished, that they have paid for their sins, that the Lord has punished Jerusalem twice for every sin they did."
Isaiah 40 : 3 (NCV)
This is the voice of one who calls out: "Prepare in the desert the way for the Lord. Make a straight road in the dry lands for our God.
Isaiah 40 : 4 (NCV)
Every valley should be raised up, and every mountain and hill should be made flat. The rough ground should be made level, and the rugged ground should be made smooth.
Isaiah 40 : 5 (NCV)
Then the glory of the Lord will be shown, and all people together will see it. The Lord himself said these things."
Isaiah 40 : 6 (NCV)
A voice says, "Cry out!" Then I said, "What shall I cry out?" "Say all people are like the grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
Isaiah 40 : 7 (NCV)
The grass dies and the flowers fall when the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are like grass.
Isaiah 40 : 8 (NCV)
The grass dies and the flowers fall, but the word of our God will live forever."
Isaiah 40 : 9 (NCV)
Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Shout out loud the good news. Shout it out and don't be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God."
Isaiah 40 : 10 (NCV)
Look, the Lord God is coming with power to rule all the people. Look, he will bring reward for his people; he will have their payment with him.
Isaiah 40 : 11 (NCV)
He takes care of his people like a shepherd. He gathers them like lambs in his arms and carries them close to him. He gently leads the mothers of the lambs.
Isaiah 40 : 12 (NCV)
Who has measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who has used his hand to measure the sky? Who has used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth and scales to weigh the mountains and hills?
Isaiah 40 : 13 (NCV)
Who has known the mind of the Lord or been able to give him advice?
Isaiah 40 : 14 (NCV)
Whom did he ask for help? Who taught him the right way? Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way to understanding?
Isaiah 40 : 15 (NCV)
The nations are like one small drop in a bucket; they are no more than the dust on his measuring scales. To him the islands are no more than fine dust on his scales.
Isaiah 40 : 16 (NCV)
All the trees in Lebanon are not enough for the altar fires, and all the animals in Lebanon are not enough for burnt offerings.
Isaiah 40 : 17 (NCV)
Compared to the Lord all the nations are worth nothing; to him they are less than nothing.
Isaiah 40 : 18 (NCV)
Can you compare God to anything? Can you compare him to an image of anything?
Isaiah 40 : 19 (NCV)
An idol is formed by a craftsman, and a goldsmith covers it with gold and makes silver chains for it.
Isaiah 40 : 20 (NCV)
A poor person cannot buy those expensive statues, so he finds a tree that will not rot. Then he finds a skilled craftsman to make it into an idol that will not fall over.
Isaiah 40 : 21 (NCV)
Surely you know. Surely you have heard. Surely from the beginning someone told you. Surely you understand how the earth was created.
Isaiah 40 : 22 (NCV)
God sits on his throne above the circle of the earth, and compared to him, people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the skies like a piece of cloth and spreads them out like a tent to sit under.
Isaiah 40 : 23 (NCV)
He makes rulers unimportant and the judges of this world worth nothing.
Isaiah 40 : 24 (NCV)
They are like plants that are placed in the ground, like seeds that are planted. As soon as they begin to grow strong, he blows on them and they die, and the wind blows them away like chaff.
Isaiah 40 : 25 (NCV)
God, the Holy One, says, "Can you compare me to anyone? Is anyone equal to me?"
Isaiah 40 : 26 (NCV)
Look up to the skies. Who created all these stars? He leads out the army of heaven one by one and calls all the stars by name. Because he is strong and powerful, not one of them is missing.
Isaiah 40 : 27 (NCV)
People of Jacob, why do you complain? People of Israel, why do you say, "The Lord does not see what happens to me; he does not care if I am treated fairly"?
Isaiah 40 : 28 (NCV)
Surely you know. Surely you have heard. The Lord is the God who lives forever, who created all the world. He does not become tired or need to rest. No one can understand how great his wisdom is.
Isaiah 40 : 29 (NCV)
He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak.
Isaiah 40 : 30 (NCV)
Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall.
Isaiah 40 : 31 (NCV)
But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired.
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