Isaiah 40

1Give comfort, give comfort, to my people, says your God.

1Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.

1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2Say kind words to the heart of Jerusalem, crying out to her that her time of trouble is ended, that her punishment is complete; that she has been rewarded by the Lord's hand twice over for all her sins.

2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, That her warfare hath been completed, That accepted hath been her punishment, That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins.

2Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah’s hand double for all her sins.

3A voice of one crying, Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God.

3A voice is crying--in a wilderness--Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.

3The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.

4Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough places become level, and the hilltops become a valley,

4Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place hath become a plain, And the entangled places a valley.

4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:

5And the glory of the Lord will be made clear, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has said it.

5And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen <FI>it<Fi> have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.

5and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

6A voice of one saying, Give a cry! And I said, What is my cry to be? All flesh is grass, and all its strength like the flower of the field.

6A voice is saying, `Call,' And he said, `What do I call?' All flesh <FI>is<Fi> grass, and all its goodliness <FI>is<Fi> As a flower of the field:

6The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.

7The grass becomes dry, the flower is dead; because the breath of the Lord goes over it: truly the people is grass.

7Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people <FI>is<Fi> grass;

7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.

8The grass is dry, the flower is dead; but the word of our God is eternal.

8Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever.

8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.

9You who give good news to Zion, get up into the high mountain; you who give good news to Jerusalem, let your voice be strong; let it be sounding without fear; say to the towns of Judah, See, your God!

9On a high mountain get thee up, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up with power thy voice, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, fear not, say to cities of Judah, `Lo, your God.'

9O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!

10See, the Lord God will come as a strong one, ruling in power: see, those made free by him are with him, and those whom he has made safe go before him.

10Lo, the Lord Jehovah with strength cometh, And His arm is ruling for Him, Lo, His hire <FI>is<Fi> with Him, and His wage before Him.

10Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

11He will give food to his flock like a keeper of sheep; with his arm he will get it together, and will take up the lambs on his breast, gently guiding those which are with young.

11As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth <FI>them<Fi> : Suckling ones He leadeth.

11He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young.

12In the hollow of whose hand have the waters been measured? and who is able to take the heavens in his stretched-out fingers? who has got together the dust of the earth in a measure? who has taken the weight of the mountains, or put the hills into the scales?

12Who hath measured in the hollow of his hand the waters? And the heavens by a span hath meted out, And comprehended in a measure the dust of the earth, And hath weighed in scales the mountains, And the hills in a balance?

12Who 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?

13By whom has the spirit of the Lord been guided, or who has been his teacher?

13Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, <FI>being<Fi> His counsellor, doth teach Him!

13Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

14Who gave him suggestions, and made clear to him the right way? who gave him knowledge, guiding him in the way of wisdom?

14With whom consulted He, That he causeth Him to understand? And teacheth Him in the path of judgment, And teacheth Him knowledge? And the way of understanding causeth Him to know?

14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?

15See, the nations are to him like a drop hanging from a bucket, and like the small dust in the scales: he takes up the islands like small dust.

15Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16And Lebanon is not enough to make a fire with, or all its cattle enough for a burned offering.

16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.

17All the nations are as nothing before him; even less than nothing, a thing of no value.

17All the nations <FI>are<Fi> as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

17All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.

18Whom then is God like, in your opinion? or what will you put forward as a comparison with him?

18And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?

18To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19The workman makes an image, and the gold-worker puts gold plates over it, and makes silver bands for it.

19The graven image poured out hath a artisan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.

19The image, a workman hath cast it, and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth for it silver chains.

20The wise workman makes selection of the mulberry-tree of the offering, a wood which will not become soft; so that the image may be fixed to it and not be moved.

20He who is poor <FI>by<Fi> heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artisan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image--not moved.

20He that is too impoverished for such an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? has not news of it been given to you from the first? has it not been clear to you from the time when the earth was placed on its base?

21Do ye not know--do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood <FI>From<Fi> the foundations of the earth?

21Have 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?

22It is he who is seated over the arch of the earth, and the people in it are as small as locusts; by him the heavens are stretched out like an arch, and made ready like a tent for a living-place.

22He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants <FI>are<Fi> as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.

22It is he that sitteth above 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;

23He makes rulers come to nothing; the judges of the earth are of no value.

23He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

23that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24They have only now been planted, and their seed put into the earth, and they have only now taken root, when he sends out his breath over them and they become dry, and the storm-wind takes them away like dry grass.

24Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away.

24Yea, they have not been planted; yea, they have not been sown; yea, their stock hath not taken root in the earth: moreover he bloweth upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.

25Who then seems to you to be my equal? says the Holy One.

25And unto whom do ye liken Me, And <FI>am<Fi> I equal? saith the Holy One.

25To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him? saith the Holy One.

26Let your eyes be lifted up on high, and see: who has made these? He who sends out their numbered army: who has knowledge of all their names: by whose great strength, because he is strong in power, all of them are in their places.

26Lift up on high your eyes, And see--who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And <FI>he is<Fi> strong in power) not one is lacking.

26Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking.

27Why do you say, O Jacob, such words as these, O Israel, The Lord's eyes are not on my way, and my God gives no attention to my cause?

27Why sayest thou, O Jacob? and speakest thou, O Israel? `My way hath been hid from Jehovah, And from my God my judgment passeth over.'

27Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God?

28Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? The eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom.

28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age--Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.

28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.

29He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.

29He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might.

29He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength.

30Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength;

30Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.

31But those expecting Jehovah pass <FI>to<Fi> power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!

31but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.