Isaiah 40-48

International Children’s Bible

³ This is the voice of a man who calls out:
“Prepare in the desert
    the way for the Lord.
Make the road in the dry lands
    straight for our God.
⁴ Every valley should be raised up.
    Every mountain and hill should be made flat.
The rough ground should be made level.
    The rugged ground should be made smooth.
⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be shown.
    All people together will see it.
The Lord himself said these things.”

⁶ A voice says, “Cry out!”
    Then I said, “What shall I cry out?”

“Say all people are like the grass.
    And all their strength is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass dies, and the flowers fall.
    This is because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
    Surely the people are like grass.
⁸ The grass dies, and the flowers fall.
    But the word of our God will live forever.”
⁹ 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.”
¹⁰ Look, the Lord God is coming with power.
    He will use his power to rule all the people.
Look, he will bring reward for his people.
    He will have their payment with him.
¹¹ The Lord takes care of his people like a shepherd.
    He gathers the people like lambs in his arms.
    He carries them close to him.
He gently leads the mothers of the lambs.

¹⁵ 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.
¹⁶ All the trees in Lebanon are not enough for the altar fires.
    And all the animals in Lebanon are not enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷ Compared to the Lord all the nations are worth nothing.
    To him they are less than nothing.

¹⁸ Can you compare God to anything?
    Can you compare him to an image of anything?
¹⁹ An idol is formed by a man.
    And another man covers it with gold.
    And he makes silver chains for it.
²⁰ A poor man cannot buy those expensive statues.
    So he finds a tree that will not rot.
And he finds a skilled workman
    to make it into an idol that will not fall over.

²¹ Surely you know. Surely you have heard.
    Surely in the beginning someone told you.
    Surely you understand how the earth was created.
²² 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.
    He spreads them out like a tent to sit under.
²³ He makes rulers unimportant.
    He makes the judges of this world worth nothing.
²⁴ They are like plants that are placed in the ground.
    They are like seeds that are planted.
As soon as they begin to grow strong,
    he blows on them and they die.
    The wind blows them away like chaff.

²⁵ God, the Holy One, says, “Can you compare me to anyone?
    Is anyone equal to me?”
²⁶ Look up to the skies.
    Who created all these stars?
He leads out all the army of heaven one by one.
    He calls all the stars by name.
He is very strong and full of power.
    So not one of them is missing.

²⁷ 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”?
²⁸ Surely you know.
    Surely you have heard.
The Lord is the God who lives forever.
    He created all the world.
He does not become tired or need to rest.
    No one can understand how great his wisdom is.
²⁹ The Lord gives strength to those who are tired.
    He gives more power to those who are weak.
³⁰ Even boys become tired and need to rest.
    Even young men trip and fall.
³¹ But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again.
They will be able to rise up as an eagle in the sky.
    They will run without needing rest.
    They will walk without becoming tired.

² “Who caused the man to come from the east?
    Who gives the man victories everywhere he goes?
The one who brought him gives nations over to him.
    He defeats kings for him.
The man uses his sword, and the kings become like dust.
    He uses his bow, and they are blown away like chaff.
³ He chases them and is never hurt.
    He goes places where he has never been before.
⁴ Who caused this to happen?
    Who has controlled history since the beginning?
I, the Lord, am the one. I was here at the beginning.
    And I will be here when all things are finished.”

⁵ All you faraway places, look and be afraid.
    All you places far away on the earth, shake with fear.
Come close and listen to me.
⁶     The workers help each other.
    They say to each other, “Be strong!”
⁷ The man who carves wood encourages the man who works with gold.
    The workman who smooths the metal with a hammer encourages the man who shapes the metal.
This last workman says, “This metal work is good.”
    He nails the statue to a base so it can’t fall over.

¹¹ “All those people who are angry with you
    will be ashamed and disgraced.
Those who are against you
    will disappear and be lost.
¹² You will look for your enemies.
    But you will not find them.
Those who fought against you
    will vanish completely.
¹³ I am the Lord your God.
    I am holding your right hand.
And I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid.
    I will help you.’
¹⁴ You few people of Israel who are left,
    do not be afraid even though you are weak as a worm.
I myself will help you,” says the Lord.
    “I am the one who saves you, the Holy One of Israel.
¹⁵ Look, I have made you like a threshing board.
    You are new, with many sharp teeth.
So you will walk on mountains and crush them.
    You will make the hills like chaff.
¹⁶ You will throw them into the air. And the wind will carry them away.
    A windstorm will scatter them.
Then you will be happy in the Lord.
    You will be proud of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁷ “The poor and needy people look for water.
    But they can’t find any.
    Their tongues are dry with thirst.
But I, the Lord, will answer their prayers.
    I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die.
¹⁸ I will make rivers flow on the dry hills.
    I will make springs of water flow through the valleys.
I will change the desert into a lake of water.
    I will change the dry land into springs of water.
¹⁹ I will make trees grow in the desert.
    There will be cedars, acacia, myrtle and olive trees.
I will put pine, fir and cypress trees
    growing together in the desert.
²⁰ People will see these things and understand.
    Together they will think carefully about these things.
They will know that the Lord’s power did this.
    They will know that the Holy One of Israel made these things.”

²⁵ “I have brought someone to come out of the north.^[a]
    I have called by name a man from the east, and he knows me.
He walks on kings as if they were mud.
    He walks on them as a potter walks on the clay.
²⁶ Who told us about this before it happened?
    Who told us ahead of time so we could say, ‘He was right’?
None of you told us anything.
    None of you told us before it happened.
    No one heard you tell about it.
²⁷ I, the Lord, was the first one to tell Jerusalem that the people were coming home.
    I sent a messenger to Jerusalem with the good news.
²⁸ I look at the idols, but there is not one that can answer.
    None of them can give advice.
    None of them can answer my questions.
²⁹ Look, all these idols are false gods.
    They cannot do anything.
    They are worth nothing.

⁵ God, the Lord, said these things.
He created the skies and stretched them out.
    He spread out the earth and everything on it.
He gives life to all people on earth.
    He gives life to everyone who walks on the earth.
⁶ The Lord says, “I called you to do right.
    And I will hold your hand.
I will protect you.
    You will be the sign of my agreement with the people.
    You will be a light to shine for all people.
⁷ You will help the blind to see.
    You will free those who are in prison.
    You will lead those who live in darkness out of their prison.

⁸ “I am the Lord. That is my name.
    I will not give my glory to another.
    I will not let idols take the praise that should be mine.
⁹ The things I said would happen have happened.
    And now I tell you about new things.
Before those things happen,
    I tell you about them.”

¹⁴ The Lord says, “For a long time I have said nothing.
    I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now I will cry out.
    I will strain like a woman giving birth to a child.
¹⁵ I will destroy the hills and mountains.
    I will dry up all the plants that grow there.
I will make the rivers become dry land.
    I will dry up the pools of water.
¹⁶ Then I will lead the blind along a way they never knew.
    I will guide them along paths they have not known.
I will make the darkness become light for them.
    And I will make the rough ground smooth.
These are the things I will do.
    I will not leave my people.
¹⁷ But some people trust in idols.
    They say to their statues,
‘You are our gods.’
    Those people will be rejected in disgrace.

²³ Will any of you listen to this?
    Will you listen carefully in the future?
²⁴ Who let the people of Jacob be carried off?
    Who let robbers take Israel away?
The Lord allowed this to happen
    because we sinned against him.
We did not live the way the Lord wanted us to live.
    We did not obey his teaching.
²⁵ So the Lord became very angry with us.
    He brought terrible wars against us.
It was as if the people of Israel had fire all around them.
    But they didn’t know what was happening.
It was as if they were burning.
    But they didn’t pay any attention.

¹⁴ This is what the Lord says.
    He is the Holy One of Israel who saves you.
He says, “I will send armies to Babylon for you.
    All the Babylonians will be captured.
They will be taken away in their ships they are proud of.
¹⁵ I am the Lord, your Holy One.
    I made Israel. I am your king.”

²² “People of Jacob, you have not called to me.
    People of Israel, you have become tired of me.
²³ You have not brought your sacrifices of sheep to me.
    You have not honored me by bringing sacrifices to me.
I did not force you to give sacrifices to me.
    I did not force you to burn incense until you became tired.
²⁴ So you did not buy incense for me.
    You did not freely bring fat from your sacrifices to me.
Instead you have weighed me down with your many sins.
    You have made me tired of your many wrongs.

²⁵ “I, I am the One who forgives all your sins.
    I do this to please myself.
    I will not remember your sins.
²⁶ But you should remind me.
    Let’s meet and decide what is right.
    Tell what you have done and show you are right.
²⁷ Your first father sinned.
    And your leaders have turned against me.
²⁸ So I will make your holy rulers not holy.
    And I will bring destruction on the people of Jacob.
    And I will let Israel be insulted.”

⁶ The Lord is the king of Israel.
    The Lord of heaven’s armies saves Israel.
The Lord says, “I am the beginning and the end.
    I am the only God.
⁷ There is no other God like me.
    If there is, then that god should come and prove it.
Who has announced coming events from the beginning?
    He should tell what will happen in the future.
⁸ Don’t be afraid! Don’t worry!
    I have always told you what will happen.
You are my witnesses.
    There is no other God.
    I know of no other Rock. I am the only One.”

¹² One workman uses tools to heat iron.
    He works over hot coals.
He uses his hammer to beat the metal and make a statue.
    He uses his powerful arms.
But when he becomes hungry, he loses his power.
    If he does not drink water, he becomes tired.

¹³ Another workman uses a line and a compass
    to draw lines on the wood.
Then he uses his chisels to cut a statue from wood.
    He uses his calipers to measure the statue.
This way, the workman makes the wood look exactly like a man.
    And this statue of a man sits in the house.
¹⁴ A man cuts down cedar
    or gets cypress or oak trees.
Those trees grew by their own power in the forest.
    Or he plants a pine tree, and the rain makes it grow.
¹⁵ Then he burns the tree.
    He uses some of the wood for a fire to keep himself warm.
    He also starts a fire to bake his bread.
But he uses part of the wood to make a god. Then he worships it!
    He makes the idol and bows down to it!
¹⁶ The man burns half of the wood in the fire.
    He uses the fire to cook his meat.
    And he eats the meat until he is full.
He burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says,
    “Good! Now I am warm. I can see because of the fire’s light.”
¹⁷ But the man makes a statue from the wood that is left. He calls it his god.
    He bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it and says,
    “You are my god. Save me!”
¹⁸ Those people don’t know what they are doing. They don’t understand!
    It is as if their eyes are covered so they can’t see.
    Their minds don’t understand.
¹⁹ They have not thought about these things.
    They don’t understand.
They have never thought to themselves,
    “I burned half of the wood in the fire.
    I used the hot coals to bake my bread.
    I cooked and ate my meat.
And I used the wood that was left to make this hated thing.
    I am worshiping a block of wood!”
²⁰ He doesn’t know what he is doing.
    His confused mind leads him the wrong way.
He cannot save himself.
    He cannot say, “This statue I am holding is a false god.”

²³ Skies, sing for joy because the Lord did great things!
    Earth, shout for joy, even in your deepest parts!
Sing, you mountains, with thanks to God.
    Sing, too, you trees in the forest!
The Lord saved the people of Jacob!
    The Lord showed his greatness when he saved Israel.
²⁴ The Lord saved you.
    He formed you while you were still in your mother’s body.
The Lord says, “I, the Lord, made everything!
    I alone stretched out the skies.
    I spread out the earth by myself.
²⁵ I show that the lying prophets’ signs are false.
    I make fools of those who do magic.
I confuse even wise men.
    They think they know much, but I make them look foolish.
²⁶ I make the messages of my servants come true.
    I make the advice of my messengers come true.
I say to Jerusalem,
    ‘People will live in you again!’
I say to the towns of Judah,
    ‘You will be built again!’
I say to Jerusalem’s ruins,
    ‘I will repair you.’
²⁷ I tell the deep waters, ‘Become dry!
    I will make your streams become dry!’
²⁸ I say of Cyrus,^[b] ‘He is my shepherd.
    He will do all that I want him to do.
    He will say to Jerusalem, “You will be built again!”
    He will tell the Temple, “Your foundations will be rebuilt.”’”

“I hold your right hand.
I will help you defeat nations.
    I will help you take other kings’ power away.
I will open doors for you
    so city gates will not stop you.
² I will go before you.
    And I will make the mountains flat.
I will break down the bronze gates of the cities.
    I will cut through the iron bars on the gates.
³ I will give you the wealth that is stored away.
    And I will give you hidden riches.
I will do this so you will know I am the Lord.
    I, the God of Israel, call you by name.
⁴ I do these things for my servants, the people of Jacob.
    I do these things for my chosen people, the Israelites.
Cyrus, I call you by name.
    I give you a title of honor even though you don’t know me.
⁵     I am the Lord. There is no other God.
    I am the only God.
I will make you strong
    even though you don’t know me.
⁶ I do these things so everyone will know
    there is no other God.
From the east to the west they will know
    I alone am the Lord.
⁷ I made the light and the darkness.
    I bring peace, and I cause troubles.
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

⁸ “Sky above, make victory fall like rain.
    Clouds, pour down victory.
May the earth receive it.
    May salvation grow.
May victory grow with it.
    I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹ “How terrible it will be for those who argue with the God who made them.
    They are like one piece of broken pottery among many pieces.
The clay does not ask the potter,
    ‘What are you doing?’
The thing that is made doesn’t say to its maker,
    ‘You have no hands.’
¹⁰ How terrible it will be for the child who says to his father,
    ‘Why are you giving me life?’
How terrible it will be for the child who says to his mother,
    ‘Why are you giving birth to me?’”

¹¹ The Lord is the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker.
    He says this:
“You ask me about what will happen.
    You question me about my children.
    You give me orders about what I have made.
¹² I made the earth.
    And I made all the people living on it.
With my own hands I stretched out the skies.
    I command all the armies in the sky.
¹³ I will bring Cyrus to do good things.
    And I will make his work easy.
Cyrus will rebuild my city,
    and he will set my people free.
Cyrus has not been paid to do these things.
    The Lord of heaven’s armies says this.”

¹⁴ The Lord says,
“The things made in Egypt and Cush
    and the tall people of Seba
will come to you.
    They will become yours.
The Sabeans will walk behind you.
    They will come along in chains.
They will bow down before you.
    They will pray to you, saying,
‘God is with you.
    And there is no other God.’”

¹⁵ You are a God that people cannot see.
    You are the God and Savior of Israel.
¹⁶ All the people who make idols will be put to great shame.
    They will go off together in disgrace.
¹⁷ But Israel will be saved by the Lord.
    That salvation will continue forever.
    Never again will Israel be put to shame.

¹⁸ The Lord created the heavens.
    He is the God
    who formed the earth.
    He made the earth.
But he did not want it to be empty.
    He wanted life to be on the earth.
This is what the Lord says:
    “I am the Lord. There is no other God.
¹⁹ I did not speak in secret.
    I did not hide my words somewhere in a dark place.
I did not tell the family of Jacob
    to look for me in empty places.
I am the Lord, and I speak the truth.
    I say what is right.

²⁰ “You people have escaped from other nations.
    So gather together and come before me.
    Come near together.
People who carry idols of wood don’t know what they are doing.
    They pray to a god who cannot save them.
²¹ Tell these people to come to me.
    Let them talk about these things together.
Who told you long ago that this would happen?
    Who told about it long ago?
I, the Lord, said these things.
    There is no other God besides me.
I am the only good God. I am the Savior.
    There is no other God.

²² “All people everywhere,
    follow me and be saved.
    I am God. There is no other God.
²³ I will make a promise by my own power.
    And my promise is true.
    What I say will not be changed.
I promise that everyone will bow before me.
    Everyone will promise to follow me.
²⁴ People will say, ‘Goodness and power
    come only from the Lord.’”
Everyone who has been angry with the Lord
    will come to him and be ashamed.
²⁵ But with the Lord’s help, the people of Israel
    will be found to be good.
    And they will praise him.

³ “Family of Jacob, listen to me!
    All you people from Israel who are still alive, listen!
I have carried you since you were born.
    I have taken care of you from your birth.
⁴ Even when you are old, I will take care of you.
    Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you.
I made you and will take care of you.
    I will carry you, and I will save you.

⁵ “Can you compare me to anyone?
    No one is equal to me or like me.
⁶ Some people are rich with gold.
    They weigh their silver on the scales.
They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god.
    Then they bow down and worship it.
⁷ They put it on their shoulders and carry it.
    They set it in its place, and there it stands.
    It cannot move from its place.
People may yell at it, but it cannot answer.
    It cannot save people from their troubles.

⁸ “Remember this, and do not forget it!
    Think about these things, you who turn against God.
⁹ Remember what happened long ago.
    Remember that I am God. There is no other God.
    I am God. There is no one like me.
¹⁰ From the beginning I told you what would happen in the end.
    A long time ago I told you things that have not yet happened.
When I plan something, it happens.
    I do the things I want to do.
¹¹ I am calling a man from the east to carry out my plan.
    He will come like a hawk from a country far away.
I will make what I have said come true.
    I will do what I have planned.
¹² Listen to me, you stubborn people.
    You are far from what is right.
¹³ I will soon do the things that are right.
    I will bring salvation soon.
I will save Jerusalem.
    And I will bring glory to Israel.”

⁴ Our Savior is named the Lord of heaven’s armies.
    He is the Holy One of Israel.

⁵ “Babylon, sit in darkness and say nothing.
    You will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.
⁶ I was angry with my people.
    So I rejected those people who belonged to me.
I gave them to you,
    but you showed them no mercy.
You even made the old people
    work very hard.
⁷ You said, ‘I will live forever.
    I will always be the queen.’
You did not think about these things.
    You did not think about what would happen.

⁸ “Now, listen, you lover of pleasure.
    You think you are safe.
You tell yourself,
    ‘I am the only important person.
I will never be a widow.
    I will never lose my children.’
⁹ Two things will happen to you
    suddenly in a single day.
    You will lose your children and your husband.
These things will truly happen to you.
    All your magic and powerful tricks
    will not save you.
¹⁰ You do evil things, but you feel safe.
    You say, ‘No one sees what I do.’
Your wisdom and knowledge
    have fooled you.
You say to yourself,
    ‘I am God. No one is equal to me.’
¹¹ But troubles will come to you.
    You will not know how to stop them.
Disaster will fall on you.
    And you will not be able to keep it away.
You will be destroyed quickly.
    You will not even see it coming.

¹² “Keep on using your tricks.
    Continue doing all your magic.
    You have done these things since you were young.
Maybe they will help you.
    Maybe you will be able to scare someone.
¹³ You are tired of the advice you have received.
    So let those who study the sky come.
They tell the future by looking at the stars.
    So let them save you from what is about to happen to you.
¹⁴ But they are like straw.
    Fire will quickly burn them up.
They cannot save themselves
    from the power of the fire.
They are not like coals that give warmth.
    They are not like a fire you may sit beside.
¹⁵ You have worked with these people.
    They have been with you since you were young.
    But they will not be able to help you.
Everyone will go his own way.
    And there will be no one left to save you.”

⁶ “You heard and saw all the things that happened.
    So you should tell this news to others.
Now I will tell you about new things.
    These are hidden things that you don’t know yet.
⁷ These things are happening now, not long ago.
    You have not heard about them before today.
So you cannot say, ‘We already knew about that.’
⁸ But you have not heard me. You have not understood.
    Even long ago you did not listen to me.
I knew you would surely turn against me.
    You have fought against me since you were born.
⁹ But for my own sake I will be patient.
    People will praise me for not becoming angry
    and destroying you.
¹⁰ I have made you pure, but not by fire, as silver is made pure.
    I have purified you by giving you troubles.
¹¹ I do this for myself, for my own sake.
    I will not let people speak evil against me.
    I will not let some false god take my glory.

¹⁴ “All of you, come together and listen.
    None of the false gods said these things would happen.
I, the Lord, have chosen someone
    to attack the Babylonians.
    He will carry out my wishes against Babylon.
¹⁵ I have spoken. I have called him.^[c]
    I have brought him, and I will make him successful.
¹⁶ Come to me and listen to this.
    From the beginning I have spoken openly.
    From the time it began, I was there.”

Now, the Lord God
    has sent me with his Spirit.

¹⁷ The Lord is your close relative who saves you, the Holy One of Israel.
    The Lord says,
“I am the Lord your God.
    I teach you to do what is good.
    I lead you in the way you should go.
¹⁸ If you had obeyed me,
    you would have had peace like a full-flowing river.
    Good things would have flowed to you like the waves of the sea.
¹⁹ You would have had many children.
    They would have been as many as the grains of sand.
They would never have died out.
    They would not have been destroyed.”

²⁰ My people, leave Babylon!
    Run from the Babylonians!
Tell this news with shouts of joy to the people.
    Spread it everywhere on earth.
Say, “The Lord has saved
    his servants, the people of Jacob.”
²¹ They did not become thirsty when he led them through the deserts.
    He made water flow from a rock for them.
He split the rock,
    and water flowed out.

²² “There is no peace for evil people,” says the Lord.