Esajas 40
1 Trøst, ja trøst mit Folk, saa siger eders Gud,
Give comfort, give comfort, to my people, says your God.
2 tal Jerusalem kærligt til og raab kun til det, at nu er dets Strid til Ende, dets Skyld betalt, tvefold Straf har det faaet af HERRENS Haand for alle sine Synder.
Say 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.
3 I Ørkenen raaber en Røst: »Ban HERRENS Vej, jævn i det øde Land en Højvej for vor Gud!
A 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.
4 Hver Dal skal højnes, hvert Bjerg, hver Høj skal sænkes, bakket Land blive fladt og Fjeldvæg til Slette.
Let 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,
5 Aabenbares skal HERRENS Herlighed, alt Kød til Hobe skal se den. Thi HERRENS Mund har talet.«
And 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.
6 Der lyder en Røst, som siger: »Raab!« Jeg svarer: »Hvad skal jeg raabe?« »Alt Kød til Hobe er Græs, al dets Ynde som Markens Blomst;
A 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.
7 Græsset tørres, Blomsten visner, naar HERRENS Aande blæser derpaa; visselig, Folket er Græs,
The grass becomes dry, the flower is dead; because the breath of the Lord goes over it: truly the people is grass.
8 Græsset tørres, Blomsten visner, men vor Guds Ord bliver evindelig.«
The grass is dry, the flower is dead; but the word of our God is eternal.
9 Stig op paa højen Bjerg, du Zions Glædesbud, løft din Røst med Kraft, du Jerusalems Glædesbud, løft den uden Frygt og sig til Judas Byer: »Se eders Gud!«
You 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!
10 Se, den Herre HERREN kommer med Vælde, han hersker med sin Arm. Se, hans Løn er med ham, hans Vinding foran ham,
See, 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.
11 han vogter sin Hjord som en Hyrde, samler den med Armen, bærer Lammene i Favn og leder de diende Faar.
He 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.
12 Hvo maaler Vandet i sin Haand, afmærker med Fingerspand Himlen, maaler Jordens Støv i Skæppe og vejer Bjerge med Bismer eller i Vægtskaal Høje?
In 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?
13 Hvo leder HERRENS Aand, raader og lærer ham noget?
By whom has the spirit of the Lord been guided, or who has been his teacher?
14 Hos hvem faar han Raad og Indsigt, hvem lærer ham Rettens Vej, hvem kan give ham Kundskab, hvem kundgør ham indsigts Vej?
Who gave him suggestions, and made clear to him the right way? who gave him knowledge, guiding him in the way of wisdom?
15 Se, som Draabe paa Spand er Folkene, at regne som Fnug paa Vægt, som et Gran vejer fjerne Strande.
See, 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.
16 Libanon giver ej Brændsel, dets Dyr ej Brændoffer nok.
And Lebanon is not enough to make a fire with, or all its cattle enough for a burned offering.
17 Alle Folk er som intet for ham, for Luft og Tomhed at regne.
All the nations are as nothing before him; even less than nothing, a thing of no value.
18 Med hvem vil I ligne Gud, hvad stiller I op som hans Lige?
Whom then is God like, in your opinion? or what will you put forward as a comparison with him?
19 Et Billede — det støber en Mester, en Guldsmed lægger Guld derpaa, og Sølvkæder støber en anden.
The workman makes an image, and the gold-worker puts gold plates over it, and makes silver bands for it.
20 Den, som vil rejse en Afgud, vælger sig Træ, som ej raadner; han søger sig en kyndig Mester til at rejse et Billede, som staar.
The 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.
21 Ved I, hører I det ikke, er det ikke forkyndt jer for længst? Har I da ikke skønnet det, fra Jordens Grundvold blev lagt?
Have 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?
22 Han troner over Jordens Kreds, som Græshopper er dens Beboere; han udbreder Himlen som en Dug og spænder den ud som et Teltbo.
It 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.
23 Fyrster gør han til intet, Jordens Dommere til Luft.
He makes rulers come to nothing; the judges of the earth are of no value.
24 Knap er de plantet, knap er de saaet, knap har Stiklingen Rod i Jorden, saa aander han paa dem, de visner; som Straa fejer Storm dem bort.
They 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.
25 Hvem vil I ligne mig med som min Ligemand? siger den Hellige.
Who then seems to you to be my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Løft eders Blik til Himlen og se: Hvo skabte disse? Han mønstrer deres Hær efter Tal, kalder hver enkelt ved Navn; saa stor er hans Kraft og Vælde, at ikke en eneste mangler.
Let 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.
27 Hvorfor siger du, Jakob, hvi taler du, Israel, saa: »Min Vej er skjult for HERREN, min Ret gled min Gud af Hænde.«
Why 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?
28 Ved du, hørte du ikke, at HERREN er en evig Gud, den vide Jord har han skabt? Han trættes og mattes ikke, hans Indsigt udgrundes ikke;
Have 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.
29 han giver den trætte Kraft, den svage Fylde af Styrke.
He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.
30 Ynglinge trættes og mattes, Ungersvende snubler brat,
Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength;
31 ny Kraft faar de, der bier paa HERREN, de faar nye Svingfjer som Ørnen; de løber uden at mattes, vandrer uden at trættes.
But 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.
