God asks the two rhetorical questions in this verse, saying he is incomparable. Revised Standard Version does not use quote marks for God’s speech, but several versions do, including Contemporary English Version, New International Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Good News Translation does not identify God as the speaker here. Translators may use indirect speech (see the last example below).

To whom then will you compare me: See the comments on verse 18, where the prophet asks the same question concerning God. Translators should try to render this question in the same way to show the repetition. As in verse 18, the pronoun you is plural, referring to the people of Judah.

That I should be like him is parallel to the previous question. It is literally “and I will be like [or, resemble].” Revised Standard Version adds the pronoun him for naturalness in English. New Jerusalem Bible says “or who is my equal?” repeating the interrogative pronoun at the beginning of the verse. We may also say “or who am I like?” or “Is there anyone else like me?”

Says the Holy One: This is the quote frame for God’s words. Since he asks questions, says may be better rendered “asks” (Contemporary English Version). For the Holy One, see the comments on 1.4.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• “To whom will you compare me,
who is like me?” the Holy One asks.

• “Who will you compare with me, or who is like me?”
asks the Holy One.

• The Holy One says:
“There is no one you can compare me to,
there is no one who is like me.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .