Isaiah 40
1 Kai ih kaminawk to pahloep oh, pahloep oh, tiah na Sithaw mah thuih.
Our God says, “Encourage my people! Encourage them!
2 Misa a tukhaih loe boeng boeh; a zaehaih doeh tahmen pae boeh, tiah Jerusalem pahloephaih lok to thui pae oh loe, hang oh; a zae o haihnawk pongah Angraeng danpaekhaih alet hnetto ah na yok o boeh, tiah thui pae oh.
Speak kindly to [the people of] Jerusalem; tell them that their suffering is ended, and that I have forgiven them for the sins that they have committed; I [SYN] have fully punished them for their sins.”
3 Praezaek ah hang kami ih lok mah, Angraeng ih loklam to pakhrai oh; aicae Sithaw hanah praezaek ah katoeng manglaih lampui to sah oh.
I hear someone who is shouting, “Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh to come [to you]; make a smooth road for our God (OR, Prepare yourselves to receive Yahweh when he comes, like people make a straight road for an important official [MET]).
4 Kathuk longnawk to aphum oh loe, mae hoi maesomnawk to pahnaem oh; kangkoih lam to patoengh oh loe, kadue ai loklam to adue o sak ah.
Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and every mountain. Make the uneven ground smooth, and make the rough places smooth.
5 To tih nahaeloe kami boih mah hnuk hanah, Angraeng lensawkhaih to amtueng tih; Angraeng ih pakha mah hae tiah thuih boeh, tiah a thuih.
[If you do that], it will become known that Yahweh is glorious/great, and all people will realize it at the same time. [Those things will surely happen] because it is Yahweh who has said [MTY] it.”
6 To ih lok mah, Hang ah, tiah ang naa. Kaimah timaw ka hangh haih han loe? tiah ka naa. Kaminawk loe phroh baktiah ni oh o boih, lensawkhaihnawk boih doeh lawk ih apawk baktiah ni oh;
Someone said to me, “Shout!” I replied, “What should I shout?” [He replied], “[Shout that] people are like [SIM] grass; their influence fades as quickly as flowers in the field.
7 Angraeng ih takhi mah hmuh naah, phroh loe zaek moe, apawk doeh azaem; kami loe phroh baktiah ni oh tangtang.
Grass withers and flowers dry up when Yahweh causes a hot wind from the desert to blow on them. And people are [MET] like that.
8 Phroh loe zaek moe, apawk doeh azaem ving; toe aicae Sithaw ih lok loe dungzan khoek to cak poe tih.
The grass withers and the flowers dry up, but what our God promises will last forever.”
9 Aw Zion, kahoih tamthanglok sinkung, maesang nuiah daw tahang ah; Aw Jerusalem, kahoih tamthanglok sinkung, tha hoiah hang ah, zii ai ah, hang ah; Na Sithaw to khen oh! tiah Judah vangpuinawk khaeah thui paeh.
You [people of] Jerusalem, you have good news to tell to people, so, shout it from the top of a high mountain! Shout it loudly, and do not be afraid! Tell the people in the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming here!”
10 Khenah, Angraeng Sithaw loe a thacakhaih ban hoiah angzo ueloe, thacak a ban hoiah uk tih; khenah, tangqum loe angmah khaeah oh moe, sak ih hmuen baktih toengah pathok han koi hmuen doeh angmah khaeah oh.
Yahweh your God will be coming with power; he will rule powerfully [MTY]. And when he comes, he will bring with him the people whom he has freed [MET] [from being slaves in Babylonia].
11 Tuutoep kami mah tuunawk to pacah baktih toengah angmah ih tuunawk to pacah tih; tuucaanawk to a ban hoiah la ueloe, saoek ah tapom tih; caa tapen tuunawk loe amzaita hoiah hui tih.
He will take care of his people like [SIM] a shepherd takes care of his sheep, and carries the young lambs in his arms. He carries them close to his chest and he gently leads the female sheep that are nursing their young lambs.
12 Ban hoi tuipuinawk tah kami, ban hoi van kar kami, benthang hoi maiphu tah kami, maenawk, maesomnawk coi hoiah tah kami loe mi aa?
[There is no one like Yahweh]! (Who else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand?/No one else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand!) [RHQ] (Who else has measured the sky with his fingers?/No one else has measured the sky with his fingers!) [RHQ] (Who else knows how much the earth weighs?/No one else knows how much the earth weighs!) [RHQ] (Who else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales?/No one else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales!) [RHQ]
13 Mi mah maw Angraeng ih Muithla to loklam patuek vaih, to tih ai boeh loe mi maw anih poekhaih paekkung ah kaom, mi maw anih to patuk vaih?
And (who else can advise Yahweh’s Spirit?/No one else can advise Yahweh’s Spirit!) [RHQ] (Who can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do?/No one can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do!) [RHQ]
14 Angraeng loe mi hoiah maw lokram vaih, mi maw Angraeng to patuk moe, a caehhaih loklam to patuek vaih? Mi mah maw anih palunghahaih patuk moe, panoekhaih loklam patuek vaih?
(Has Yahweh consulted anyone else to get advice?/Yahweh has certainly not consulted anyone else to get advice!) [RHQ] (Does he need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly?/He certainly does not need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly!) [RHQ]
15 Khenah, prae kaminawk loe tui suekhaih okduk pong ih tui kaca baktiah oh o moe, coi tahhaih pong ih kakap maiphu baktiah ni oh o; khenah, tuipui thung ih praenawk doeh maiphu baktiah ni a haeh.
[Yahweh considers that] the nations are [as insignificant as] [MET] one drop from a bucket [full of water]. They are [as insignificant as] dust on scales. He is able to weigh islands [as though they weighed no more than] grains of sand.
16 Lebanon ih taw loe hmaitik han khawt ai; to taw thungah kaom moinawk doeh angbawnhaih sak hanah khawt ai.
There would be [not] enough wood from all the trees in Lebanon to make a suitable fire for [sacrificing animals to] him, and there are not enough animals in Lebanon to offer as sacrifices to him.
17 Prae kaminawk boih loe anih hmaa ah tidoeh athum ai, nihcae loe anih han tiah doeh om ai, azom pui ni.
The nations of the world are completely insignificant/unimportant to him; he considers that they are worthless and less than nothing [HYP, DOU].
18 To pongah Sithaw loe tih hoiah maw na patah han? To tih ai boeh loe anih loe kawbaktih krang hoiah maw anghmong, tiah na patah han?
So, to whom can you compare God? What image resembles him?
19 Krang sah kami mah krang to thuk, sui sah kami mah a nuiah suitui to pazut moe, sumkanglung sah kami mah sumqui to a sak pae.
Can you compare him to an idol that is made in a mold, and then is covered with [a thin sheet of] gold and decorated with silver chains?
20 Kamtang kami loe kahmawn thai ai thing to qoih moe, thing nuiah krang soisak hanah krang soi thaih kami to pakrong.
A man who is poor [cannot buy silver or gold for his idol]; [so] he selects a piece of wood that will not rot, and he gives it to a craftsman to carve an idol that will not fall down!
21 Na panoek o ai maw? Na thaih o ai maw? Tangsuek na hoiah na thui o ai maw? Long sak amtong tangsuek na hoiah na thaih o ai maw?
Have you(pl) not heard this? Do you not understand it? Are you unable to hear what God said long ago— [messages that he gave] before he created the earth?
22 Anih loe long amhaehaih ranui koekah anghnut, anih mah loe long kaminawk to pakhuhnawk baktiah ni poek, vannawk to kahni baktiah a payuengh moe, ohhaih im baktiah amyuegsak;
God sits [on his throne] above the earth, and the people [on the earth] below seem to be [as small] as [SIM] grasshoppers. He spreads out the sky like a curtain; it is like [SIM] a tent for him to live in.
23 Anih mah loe angraengnawk to tidoeh na ai ah ohsak moe, long ukkungnawk doeh azom pui ah a ohsak.
He causes kings to have no more power, and he causes the rulers to be worth nothing.
24 Ue, nihcae loe tidoeh thling o mak ai; ue, patii doeh patii o mak ai; ue, patit o ih akungnawk doeh tangzun sah o mak ai; anih mah akungnawk to takhi hoi hmuh pongah azaem o tih; nihcae to takhi kamhae mah hmut phaeng tih.
They start to rule, like small plants start to grow and form roots; but then [he gets rid of them] as though [MET] they withered when he blew on them, like [SIM] chaff that is blown away by the wind.
25 Mi hoiah maw kai hae nang patah han? To tih ai boeh loe mi maw kai hoiah kangvan? tiah Ciimcai Sithaw mah thuih.
The Holy One asks, “To whom will you compare me? Is anyone equal to me?”
26 Van bangah na mik to padai noek ah; khenah, hae hmuennawk loe mi mah maw sak? Anih mah ni to ih cakaehnawk to maeto pacoeng maeto ohsak, nazetto maw oh o, tito anih mah panoek bit moe, ahmin hoiah kawk boih; anih loe thacak moe, sakthaihaih hoiah akoep pongah, maeto doeh anghmaa o ai.
Look up toward the sky: Consider who [RHQ] created all the stars. [Yahweh created them], and at night he causes them to appear; he calls each one by its name. Because he is extremely powerful [DOU], all of the stars are there [LIT] [when he calls out their names].
27 Aw Jakob, tipongah ka caehhaih loklam loe Angraeng mah panoek ai, tiah na thuih loe? Aw Israel, tipongah ka toenghaih hae Sithaw mah tiah doeh na sah pae ai, tiah na thuih loe?
You people of Israel [DOU], why do you complain that Yahweh does not see the [troubles that you are experiencing]? Why do you say that he does not act fairly toward you?
28 Angraeng loe, dungzan kahing Sithaw ah oh moe, long boenghaih Sahkung ah oh, anih loe thazok ai, angpho vai ai, a thoemhaih loe mi mah doeh panoek pae thai ai, tiah na panoek o ai maw?
Have you never heard and have you never understood that Yahweh is the everlasting God; he is the one who created the earth, [even the] most distant places on the earth. He never becomes weak or weary, and no one can find out how much he understands.
29 Anih loe thazok kaminawk to tha ohsak moe, thacak ai kaminawk to thacaksak.
He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
30 Thendoengnawk mataeng doeh thazok o ueloe, angpho o tih, nawksainawk doeh amthaek o ueloe, amtimh o tih;
Even youths become faint and weary, and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
31 toe Angraeng zing kaminawk loe thacak o let tih; tahmunawk baktiah van ah pakhraeh hoiah angtoeng o tahang tih; cawn o cadoeh, angpho o mak ai, caeh o naah doeh thazok o mak ai.
But those who trust in Yahweh will become strong again; [it will be as though] they will soar/fly high like [SIM] eagles do. They will run [for a long time] and not become weary; they will walk [long distances] and not faint.
