Ésaïe 40
La Bible du Semeur
Le livre de la consolation
La délivrance promise
40 Réconfortez mon peuple, ╵oui, réconfortez-le !
dit votre Dieu.
2 Et parlez au cœur de Jérusalem, ╵annoncez-lui
que son temps de corvée ╵est accompli,
que son péché est expié,
qu’elle a reçu de l’Eternel
deux fois le prix de ses péchés !
3 On entend une voix crier :
« Dégagez un chemin ╵dans le désert ╵pour l’Eternel,
nivelez dans la steppe
une route pour notre Dieu[a] !
4 Toute vallée sera élevée,
toute montagne abaissée ╵ainsi que toutes les collines.
Les lieux accidentés ╵se changeront en plaine,
les rochers escarpés ╵deviendront des vallées.
5 Alors la gloire ╵de l’Eternel ╵sera manifestée,
et tous les hommes ╵la verront à la fois.
L’Eternel l’a promis. »
6 Une voix interpelle : ╵« Va, proclame un message ! »
Une autre lui répond : ╵« Que dois-je proclamer ?
– Que tout homme est pareil à l’herbe
et toute sa beauté ╵comme la fleur des champs[b] ;
7 car l’herbe se dessèche ╵et la fleur se flétrit
quand le souffle de l’Eternel ╵passe dessus.
En vérité : les hommes ╵sont pareils à de l’herbe.
8 Oui, l’herbe se dessèche ╵et la fleur se flétrit,
mais la parole ╵de notre Dieu
subsistera toujours. »
9 O Sion, messagère ╵d’une bonne nouvelle,
gravis une haute montagne !
Crie avec force,
Jérusalem, ╵messagère d’une bonne nouvelle !
Oui, crie sans crainte,
annonce aux villes de Juda :
« Voici votre Dieu vient ! »
10 Voici l’Eternel, le Seigneur ;
il vient avec puissance
et son bras lui assure ╵la souveraineté.
Voici : ses récompenses ╵sont avec lui,
et le fruit de son œuvre ╵va devant lui.
11 Comme un berger, ╵il paîtra son troupeau
et il rassemblera ╵les agneaux dans ses bras.
Sur son sein, il les porte
et conduit doucement ╵les brebis qui allaitent[c].
La grandeur de Dieu
12 Qui a mesuré l’océan ╵dans le creux de sa main ?
Qui a déterminé les dimensions du ciel ╵avec la largeur de sa main ?
Qui a tassé dans un boisseau ╵toute la poussière du sol ?
Qui a bien pu peser ╵les montagnes sur la bascule
et les coteaux sur la balance ?
13 Qui donc a mesuré ╵l’Esprit de l’Eternel ?
Qui a été son conseiller[d] ?
14 De qui Dieu a-t-il pris conseil
pour se faire éclairer ?
Qui lui a enseigné ╵la voie du droit ?
Qui lui a transmis le savoir
et lui a fait connaître ╵le chemin de l’intelligence ?
15 Voici : les nations sont pour lui
comme la goutte d’eau ╵tombant d’un seau,
ou comme un grain de sable ╵sur le plateau de la balance.
Voici : les îles ╵et les régions côtières,
il les soulève ╵comme de la poussière.
16 Les cèdres du Liban ╵ne suffiraient pas à nourrir ╵le feu de son autel,
tous les animaux qui y vivent ╵ne seraient pas assez nombreux ╵pour l’holocauste.
17 Toutes les nations, à ses yeux, ╵sont comme rien.
Elles ont, pour lui, la valeur ╵du néant et du vide.
18 A qui comparerez-vous Dieu ?
Et comment le représenterez-vous ?
19 Une idole moulée, ╵un artisan la fond,
l’orfèvre la recouvre ╵d’un fin placage d’or
puis il l’orne de chaînettes d’argent.
20 Celui qui est trop pauvre ╵pour une telle offrande
choisit un bois ╵qui ne pourrisse pas,
puis il s’en va chercher ╵un artisan habile
pour faire une statue ╵qui ne vacille pas.
21 Ne le savez-vous pas ?
Ne l’avez-vous pas entendu ?
Cela ne vous a-t-il pas été déclaré ╵dès le commencement ?
N’avez-vous pas compris
la fondation du monde ?
22 Or, pour celui qui siège ╵bien au-dessus ╵du cercle de la terre,
ses habitants ╵sont pareils à des sauterelles.
Il a tendu le ciel comme une toile
et il l’a déployé ╵comme une tente ╵pour l’habiter.
23 Il réduit à néant ╵les princes de la terre
et fait évanouir ╵les dirigeants du monde.
24 A peine ont-ils été plantés,
à peine ont-ils été semés,
à peine ont-ils poussé ╵quelque racine en terre,
que l’Eternel souffle sur eux
et les voilà qui sèchent
et qui sont emportés ╵comme un fétu de paille ╵par la tempête.
25 « A qui voudriez-vous ╵me comparer ?
Qui serait mon égal ? »
demande le Dieu saint.
26 Levez bien haut les yeux ╵et regardez :
qui a créé ces astres ?
C’est celui qui fait marcher ╵leur armée en bon ordre,
qui les convoque tous, ╵les nommant par leur nom.
Et grâce à sa grande puissance ╵et à sa formidable force,
pas un ne fait défaut.
27 Pourquoi donc, ô Jacob, ╵parler ainsi ?
Et pourquoi dire, ô Israël :
« Mon sort échappe à l’Eternel,
et mon Dieu ne fait rien ╵pour défendre mon droit » ?
28 Ne le sais-tu donc pas ?
Et n’as-tu pas appris
que l’Eternel est Dieu ╵de toute éternité ?
C’est lui qui a créé ╵les confins de la terre.
Il ne se lasse pas, ╵il ne s’épuise pas,
et son intelligence ╵ne peut être sondée.
29 Il donne de la force ╵à qui est las
et il augmente la vigueur ╵de celui qui est épuisé.
30 Les jeunes gens se lassent ╵et ils s’épuisent,
et même de robustes gaillards tombent,
31 mais ceux qui comptent ╵sur l’Eternel ╵renouvellent leur force :
ils prennent leur envol ╵comme de jeunes aigles ;
sans se lasser, ils courent,
ils marchent en avant, ╵et ne s’épuisent pas.
Isaiah 40
New King James Version
God’s People Are Comforted(A)
40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak [a]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
(B)For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 (C)The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(D)“Prepare the way of the Lord;
(E)Make straight [b]in the desert
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
(F)The crooked places shall be made [c]straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The (G)glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And [d]he said, “What shall I cry?”
(H)“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (I)the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come [e]with a strong hand,
And (J)His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, (K)His reward is with Him,
And His [f]work before Him.
11 He will (L)feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
12 (M)Who has measured the [g]waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a [h]span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 (N)Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And (O)taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as (P)nothing,
And (Q)they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you (R)liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 (S)The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such [i]a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
(T)To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 (U)Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not 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 (V)stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a (W)tent to dwell in.
23 He [j]brings the (X)princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 “To(Y) whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
(Z)He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 (AA)Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
(AB)His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who (AC)wait on the Lord
(AD)Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:2 Lit. to the heart of
- Isaiah 40:3 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX omits in the desert
- Isaiah 40:4 Or a plain
- Isaiah 40:6 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, LXX, Vg. I
- Isaiah 40:10 in strength
- Isaiah 40:10 recompense
- Isaiah 40:12 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; DSS adds of the sea; Tg. adds of the world
- Isaiah 40:12 A span .5 cubit, 9 inches; or the width of His hand
- Isaiah 40:20 an offering
- Isaiah 40:23 reduces
Isaiah 40
English Standard Version
Comfort for God's People
40 (A)Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 (B)Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that (C)her warfare[a] is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
3 (D)A voice cries:[b]
(E)“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
(F)make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 (G)Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 (H)And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
(I)for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Stands Forever
6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said,[c] “What shall I cry?”
(J)All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty[d] is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 (K)The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
The Greatness of God
9 Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, (L)herald of good news;[e]
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;[f]
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 (M)Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
(N)behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 (O)He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
(P)he will gather the lambs in his arms;
(Q)he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
12 (R)Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 (S)Who has measured[g] the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
(T)Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted (U)as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up (V)the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are (W)its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 (X)All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18 (Y)To whom then will you liken God,
(Z)or what likeness compare with him?
19 (AA)An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 (AB)He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood[h] that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.
21 (AC)Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are (AD)like grasshoppers;
(AE)who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 (AF)who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
(AG)and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 (AH)To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
(AI)He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might
and because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
(AJ)“My way is hidden from the Lord,
(AK)and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is (AL)the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
(AM)his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but (AN)they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings (AO)like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 40:2 Or hardship
- Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one crying
- Isaiah 40:6 Revocalization based on Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Vulgate; Masoretic Text And someone says
- Isaiah 40:6 Or all its constancy
- Isaiah 40:9 Or O herald of good news to Zion
- Isaiah 40:9 Or O herald of good news to Jerusalem
- Isaiah 40:13 Or has directed
- Isaiah 40:20 Or He chooses valuable wood
La Bible Du Semeur (The Bible of the Sower) Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
