Isaiah 40

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

“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.

2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare has been completed, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

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

3 The voice of a man crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

A voice is crying in a wilderness: “Prepare the way of YHWH, Make straight in a desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. And the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places smooth.

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

5 And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.

And the glory of YHWH has been revealed, And all flesh have seen [it] together, For the mouth of YHWH has spoken.”

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

A voice is saying, “Call,” And he said, “What do I call?” All flesh [is] grass, and all its goodness [Is] as a flower of the field:

7 The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of Jehovah blows upon it. Surely the people is grass.

Grass has withered, the flower faded, For the Spirit of YHWH blew on it, Surely the people [is] grass;

8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever.

Grass has withered, the flower faded, But a word of our God rises forever.

9 O thou who tell good news to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain. O thou who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up, be not afraid, say to the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!

Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up your voice with power, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, do not fear, say to cities of Judah, “Behold, your God.”

10 Behold, 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.

Behold, Lord YHWH comes with strength, And His arm is ruling for Him, Behold, His hire [is] with Him, and His wage before Him.

11 He 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 who have their young.

He feeds His flock as a shepherd, He gathers lambs with His arm, And He carries [them] in His bosom: He leads suckling ones.

12 Who has 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?

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

13 Who has known the mind of Jehovah, or being his counselor has taught him?

Who has meted out the Spirit of YHWH, And [being] His counselor, teaches Him?

14 With whom did he take 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?

With whom [did] He consult, That he causes Him to understand? And teaches Him in the path of judgment, And teaches Him knowledge? And causes Him to know the way of understanding?

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

Behold, nations [are] as a drop from a bucket, And have been reckoned as small dust of the balance, Behold, He takes up islands as a small thing.

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

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

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

All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

18 To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare to him?

And to whom do you liken God, And what likeness do you compare to Him?

19 The image, a workman has cast it, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains.

An artisan has poured out the carved image, And a refiner spreads it over with gold, And he is refining chains of silver.

20 He who is too impoverished for such an oblation chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks for him a skilful workman to set up a graven image that shall not be moved.

He who is poor [by] raised-offerings, Chooses a tree [that is] not rotten, He seeks a skillful artisan for it, To establish a carved image—not moved.

21 Have ye not known? Have yet not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Do you not know—do you not hear? Has it not been declared from the first to you? Have you not understood [From] the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in,

He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out the heavens as a thin thing, And spreads them as a tent to dwell in.

23 who brings rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

He who is making princes become nothing, Has made judges of earth formless;

24 Yea, they have not been planted. Yea, they have not been sown. Yea, their stock has not taken root in the earth. Moreover he blows upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.

Indeed, they have not been planted, Indeed, they have not been sown, Indeed, their stock is not taking root in the earth, And He has also blown on them, and they wither, And a whirlwind takes them away as stubble.

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

And to whom do you liken Me, And [to whom] I equal? Says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their host by number. He calls them all by name, by the greatness of his might. And because he is strong in power, not one is lacking.

Lift up your eyes on high, And see—who has created these? He who is bringing out their host by number, He calls to all of them by name, By the abundance of His strength And mighty power, Not one is lacking.

27 Why do thou say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah. And the justice due to me is passed away from my God?

Why say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way has been hid from YHWH, And from my God my judgment passes over?”

28 Have thou not known? Have thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, nor is weary. There is no searching of his understanding.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The God of the age—YHWH, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.

29 He gives power to the faint. And to him who has no might he increases strength.

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

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

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

31 But those who 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.

But those expecting YHWH pass [to] power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!