Isaiah 40 – read and compare multiple versions of the Bible

World English Bible

Isaiah 40 (WEBP)

[1] “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
[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.”
[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.
[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.
[5] Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
[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.
[7] The grass withers, the flower fades, because Yahweh’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass.
[8] The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever.”
[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!”
[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.
[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.
[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?
[13] Who has directed Yahweh’s Spirit, or has taught him as his counselor?
[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?
[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.
[16] Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
[17] All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
[18] To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him?
[19] A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it.
[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.
[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?
[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,
[23] who brings princes to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
[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.
[25] “To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
[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.
[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”?
[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.
[29] He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
[30] Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall;
[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.

Scripture quotations are taken from The World English Bible™ of eBible.org, 2020 stable text edition. It is in the public domain.

King James w/Strong’s #s

Isaiah 40 (KJVS)

[1] Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
[2] 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.
[3] 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.
[4] 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:
[5] 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.
[6] 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:
[7] the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
[8] The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
[9] 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!
[10] 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.
[11] 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.
[12] 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?
[13] Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
[14] 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?
[15] 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.
[16] And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
[17] All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
[18] To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
[19] The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
[20] 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.
[21] 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?
[22] 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:
[23] that bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
[24] 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.
[25] To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
[26] 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.
[27] 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?
[28] 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.
[29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
[30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
[31] 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.

Isaiah 40:2a Heb. to the heart
Isaiah 40:2b Or, appointed time
Isaiah 40:4a Or, a straight place
Isaiah 40:4b Or, a plain place
Isaiah 40:9 Or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
Isaiah 40:10a Or, against the strong
Isaiah 40:10b Or, recompence for his work
Isaiah 40:11 Or, that give suck
Isaiah 40:12 Heb. a Tierce
Isaiah 40:14a Heb. made him understand
Isaiah 40:14b Heb. understandings
Isaiah 40:20 Heb. I poor of oblation
Isaiah 40:22 Or, him that sitteth, atc.
Isaiah 40:31 Heb. change

Scripture quotations from The Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible, using the standardized text of 1769. It is in the public domain.

Greek Bible (LXX/BYZ)

Isaiah 40 (BYZ)

[1] Παρακαλεῖτε () παρακαλεῖτε () τὸν () λαόν () μου, () λέγει () ὁ () θεός. ()
[2] Ἱερεῖς, () λαλήσατε () εἰς () τὴν () καρδίαν () Ιερουσαλημ, () παρακαλέσατε () αὐτήν· () ὅτι () ἐπλήσθη () ἡ () ταπείνωσις () αὐτῆς, () λέλυται () αὐτῆς () ἡ () ἁμαρτία· () ὅτι () ἐδέξατο () ἐκ () χειρὸς () κυρίου () διπλᾶ () τὰ () ἁμαρτήματα () αὐτῆς. ()
[3] Φωνὴ () βοῶντος () ἐν () τῇ () ἐρήμῳ () Ἑτοιμάσατε () τὴν () ὁδὸν () κυρίου, () εὐθείας () ποιεῖτε () τὰς () τρίβους () τοῦ () θεοῦ () ἡμῶν· ()
[4] πᾶσα () φάραγξ () πληρωθήσεται () καὶ () πᾶν () ὄρος () καὶ () βουνὸς () ταπεινωθήσεται, () καὶ () ἔσται () πάντα () τὰ () σκολιὰ () εἰς () εὐθεῖαν () καὶ () ἡ () τραχεῖα () εἰς () πεδία·
[5] καὶ () ὀφθήσεται () ἡ () δόξα () κυρίου, () καὶ () ὄψεται () πᾶσα () σὰρξ () τὸ () σωτήριον () τοῦ () θεοῦ· () ὅτι () κύριος () ἐλάλησεν. ()
[6] Φωνὴ () λέγοντος () Βόησον· () καὶ () εἶπα () Τί () βοήσω; () Πᾶσα () σὰρξ () χόρτος, () καὶ () πᾶσα () δόξα () ἀνθρώπου () ὡς () ἄνθος () χόρτου· ()
[7] ἐξηράνθη () ὁ () χόρτος, () καὶ () τὸ () ἄνθος () ἐξέπεσεν, ()
[8] τὸ () δὲ () ῥῆμα () τοῦ () θεοῦ () ἡμῶν () μένει () εἰς () τὸν () αἰῶνα. ()
[9] Ἐπ’ () ὄρος () ὑψηλὸν () ἀνάβηθι, () ὁ () εὐαγγελιζόμενος () Σιων· () ὕψωσον () τῇ () ἰσχύι () τὴν () φωνήν () σου, () ὁ () εὐαγγελιζόμενος () Ιερουσαλημ· () ὑψώσατε, () μὴ () φοβεῖσθε· () εἰπὸν () ταῖς () πόλεσιν () Ιουδα Ἰδοὺ () ὁ () θεὸς () ὑμῶν. ()
[10] Ἰδοὺ () κύριος () μετὰ () ἰσχύος () ἔρχεται () καὶ () ὁ () βραχίων () μετὰ () κυριείας, ἰδοὺ () ὁ () μισθὸς () αὐτοῦ () μετ’ () αὐτοῦ () καὶ () τὸ () ἔργον () ἐναντίον () αὐτοῦ. ()
[11] Ὡς () ποιμὴν () ποιμανεῖ () τὸ () ποίμνιον () αὐτοῦ () καὶ () τῷ () βραχίονι () αὐτοῦ () συνάξει () ἄρνας () καὶ () ἐν () γαστρὶ () ἐχούσας () παρακαλέσει. ()
[12] Τίς () ἐμέτρησεν () τῇ () χειρὶ () τὸ () ὕδωρ () καὶ () τὸν () οὐρανὸν () σπιθαμῇ καὶ () πᾶσαν () τὴν () γῆν () δρακί; Τίς () ἔστησεν () τὰ () ὄρη () σταθμῷ καὶ () τὰς () νάπας ζυγῷ; ()
[13] Τίς () ἔγνω () νοῦν () κυρίου, () καὶ () τίς () αὐτοῦ () σύμβουλος () ἐγένετο, () ὃς () συμβιβᾷ () αὐτόν; ()
[14] Ἢ () πρὸς () τίνα () συνεβουλεύσατο () καὶ () συνεβίβασεν () αὐτόν; () Ἢ () τίς () ἔδειξεν () αὐτῷ () κρίσιν; () Ἢ () ὁδὸν () συνέσεως () τίς () ἔδειξεν () αὐτῷ; ()
[15] Εἰ () πάντα () τὰ () ἔθνη () ὡς () σταγὼν ἀπὸ () κάδου καὶ () ὡς () ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ () ἐλογίσθησαν, () καὶ () ὡς () σίελος λογισθήσονται· ()
[16] ὁ () δὲ () Λίβανος οὐχ () ἱκανὸς () εἰς () καῦσιν, () καὶ () πάντα () τὰ () τετράποδα () οὐχ () ἱκανὰ () εἰς () ὁλοκάρπωσιν,
[17] καὶ () πάντα () τὰ () ἔθνη () ὡς () οὐδέν () εἰσι () καὶ () εἰς () οὐθὲν () ἐλογίσθησαν. ()
[18] Τίνι () ὡμοιώσατε () κύριον () καὶ () τίνι () ὁμοιώματι () ὡμοιώσατε () αὐτόν; ()
[19] Μὴ () εἰκόνα () ἐποίησεν () τέκτων, () ἢ () χρυσοχόος χωνεύσας χρυσίον () περιεχρύσωσεν αὐτόν, () ὁμοίωμα () κατεσκεύασεν () αὐτόν; ()
[20] Ξύλον () γὰρ () ἄσηπτον ἐκλέγεται () τέκτων () καὶ () σοφῶς ζητεῖ () πῶς () στήσει () αὐτοῦ () εἰκόνα () καὶ () ἵνα () μὴ () σαλεύηται. ()
[21] Οὐ () γνώσεσθε; () Οὐκ () ἀκούσεσθε; () Οὐκ () ἀνηγγέλη () ἐξ () ἀρχῆς () ὑμῖν; () Οὐκ () ἔγνωτε () τὰ () θεμέλια () τῆς () γῆς; ()
[22] Ὁ () κατέχων () τὸν () γῦρον τῆς () γῆς, () καὶ () οἱ () ἐνοικοῦντες () ἐν () αὐτῇ () ὡς () ἀκρίδες, () ὁ () στήσας () ὡς () καμάραν τὸν () οὐρανὸν () καὶ () διατείνας ὡς () σκηνὴν () κατοικεῖν, ()
[23] ὁ () διδοὺς () ἄρχοντας () εἰς () οὐδὲν () ἄρχειν, () τὴν () δὲ () γῆν () ὡς () οὐδὲν () ἐποίησεν. ()
[24] Οὐ () γὰρ () μὴ () σπείρωσιν () οὐδὲ () μὴ () φυτεύσωσιν, () οὐδὲ () μὴ () ῥιζωθῇ () εἰς () τὴν () γῆν () ἡ () ῥίζα () αὐτῶν· () ἔπνευσεν () ἐπ’ () αὐτοὺς () καὶ () ἐξηράνθησαν, () καὶ () καταιγὶς ὡς () φρύγανα () ἀναλήμψεται () αὐτούς. ()
[25] Νῦν () οὖν () τίνι () με () ὡμοιώσατε () καὶ () ὑψωθήσομαι; () Εἶπεν () ὁ () ἅγιος. ()
[26] Ἀναβλέψατε () εἰς () ὕψος () τοὺς () ὀφθαλμοὺς () ὑμῶν () καὶ () ἴδετε· () τίς () κατέδειξεν πάντα () ταῦτα; () Ὁ () ἐκφέρων () κατὰ () ἀριθμὸν () τὸν () κόσμον () αὐτοῦ () πάντας () ἐπ’ () ὀνόματι () καλέσει· () ἀπὸ () πολλῆς () δόξης () καὶ () ἐν () κράτει () ἰσχύος () οὐδέν () σε () ἔλαθεν. ()
[27] Μὴ () γὰρ () εἴπῃς, () Ιακωβ, () καὶ () τί () ἐλάλησας, () Ισραηλ () Ἀπεκρύβη () ἡ () ὁδός () μου () ἀπὸ () τοῦ () θεοῦ, () καὶ () ὁ () θεός () μου () τὴν () κρίσιν () ἀφεῖλεν () καὶ () ἀπέστη; ()
[28] Καὶ () νῦν () οὐκ () ἔγνως () εἰ () μὴ () ἤκουσας; () Θεὸς () αἰώνιος () ὁ () θεὸς () ὁ () κατασκευάσας () τὰ () ἄκρα τῆς () γῆς, () οὐ () πεινάσει () οὐδὲ () κοπιάσει, () οὐδὲ () ἔστιν () ἐξεύρεσις τῆς () φρονήσεως () αὐτοῦ· ()
[29] διδοὺς () τοῖς () πεινῶσιν () ἰσχὺν () καὶ () τοῖς () μὴ () ὀδυνωμένοις () λύπην. ()
[30] Πεινάσουσιν () γὰρ () νεώτεροι, () καὶ () κοπιάσουσιν () νεανίσκοι, () καὶ () ἐκλεκτοὶ () ἀνίσχυες ἔσονται· ()
[31] οἱ () δὲ () ὑπομένοντες () τὸν () θεὸν () ἀλλάξουσιν () ἰσχύν, () πτεροφυήσουσιν ὡς () ἀετοί, () δραμοῦνται () καὶ () οὐ () κοπιάσουσιν, () βαδιοῦνται καὶ () οὐ () πεινάσουσιν. ()

Old Testament scripture quotations and versification from Septuaginta, edited by Alfred Rahlfs (Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1935). New Testament quotations are from the Byzantine Text (Guardian Press, LLC, Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Textform, 2026). Both are in the public domain.