Isaiah 40

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

1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith yourGod.

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 to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her time of suffering is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

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 crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for ourGod!

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 raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places a plain.

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.

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:

6A voice saith, Cry. And he saith, What shall I cry? — All flesh is grass, and all the comeliness thereof as the flower of the field.

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, for the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

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 ourGod abideth for ever.

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 Zion, that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into a high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold yourGod!

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 with might, and his arm shall rule for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompence before him.

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 with his arm, and carry them in his bosom; he will gently lead those that give suck.

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 the heavens with [his] span, and grasped the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in scales?

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

13Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and, [as] his counsellor, hath taught him?

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] gave him intelligence, and instructed him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding?

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 esteemed as a drop of the bucket, and as the fine dust on the scales; behold, he taketh up the isles as an atom.

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 <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 esteemed by him less than a cipher, and vanity.

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

18To whom then will ye likenGod? and what likeness will ye compare unto him?

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

19The workman casteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains [for it].

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 impoverished, so that he hath no offering, chooseth a tree that doth not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilled workman to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved.

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?

21— Do ye not know? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood the foundation of the earth?

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.

22[It is] he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a gauze curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;

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

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

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.

24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely hath their stock taken root in the earth, but he also bloweth upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.

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

25To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

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 things, bringing out their host by number? He calleth them all by name; through the greatness of his might and strength of power, not one faileth.

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, Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and my right is passed away from myGod?

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.

28Dost thou not know, hast thou not heard, that the everlastingGod, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not nor tireth? There is no searching of his understanding.

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

30Even the youths shall faint and shall tire, and the young men shall stumble and fall;

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 upon Jehovah shall renew [their] strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not tire; they shall walk, and not faint.