Isaiah 40:21-31

Contemporary English Version

God Rules the Whole Earth

²¹Don't you know?
    Haven't you heard?
Hasn't it been clear
    since the time of creation?^[a]
²²God is the one who rules
    the whole earth,
and we that live here
    are merely insects.
He spread out the heavens
like a curtain or an open tent.

²³God brings down rulers
    and turns them into nothing.
²⁴They are like flowers
freshly sprung up
    and starting to grow.
But when God blows on them,
they wilt and are carried off
    like straw in a storm.

²⁵The holy God asks,
“Who compares with me?
Is anyone my equal?”

²⁶^(A) Look at the evening sky!
    Who created the stars?
Who gave them each a name?
    Who leads them like an army?
The Lord is so powerful
that none of the stars
    are ever missing.

The Lord Gives Strength

²⁷You people of Israel say,
“God pays no attention to us!
He doesn't care if we
are treated unjustly.”

But how can you say that?
²⁸Don't you know?
Haven't you heard?
The Lord is the eternal God,
Creator of the earth.
He never gets weary or tired;
his wisdom cannot be measured.

²⁹The Lord gives strength
    to those who are weary.
³⁰Even young people get tired,
    then stumble and fall.
³¹But those who trust the Lord
    will find new strength.
They will be strong like eagles
    soaring upward on wings;
they will walk and run
    without getting tired.