Isaiah 40
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, will your God say.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem; and proclaim to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received double from Yahweh's hand for all her sins.”
Speake comfortably to Ierusalem, and crye vnto her, that her warrefare is accomplished, that her iniquitie is pardoned: for she hath receiued of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes.
3 A voice cries out, “In the wilderness prepare the way of Yahweh; make straight in the Arabah a highway for our God.”
A voyce cryeth in the wildernesse, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make streight in the desert a path for our God.
4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; and the rugged land will be made level, and the rough places a plain;
Euery valley shall be exalted, and euery mountaine and hill shall be made lowe: and the crooked shalbe streight, and the rough places plaine.
5 and the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all people will see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
And the glory of the Lord shalbe reueiled, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
6 A voice says, “Cry.” Another answers, “What should I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all their covenant faithfulness is like the flower of the field.
A voyce saide, Crie. And he saide, What shall I crie? All flesh is grasse, and all the grace thereof is as the floure of the fielde.
7 The grass withers and the flower wilts when the breath of Yahweh blows on it; surely humanity is grass.
The grasse withereth, the floure fadeth, because the Spirite of the Lord bloweth vpon it: surely the people is grasse.
8 The grass withers, the flower wilts, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
The grasse withereth, the floure fadeth: but the worde of our God shall stand for euer.
9 Go up on a high mountain, Zion, bearer of good news. Shout out loud, Jerusalem. You who bring good news, raise your voice, do not be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee vp into the hie mountaine: O Ierusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift vp thy voyce with strength: lift it vp, be not afraide: say vnto the cities of Iudah, Beholde your God.
10 Look, the Lord Yahweh comes as a victorious warrior, and his strong arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and those he has rescued go before him.
Beholde, the Lord God will come with power, and his arme shall rule for him: beholde, his rewarde is with him, and his worke before him,
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather in his arm the lambs, and carry them close to his heart, and will gently lead the ewes nursing their young.
He shall feede his flocke like a shepheard: he shall gather the lambes with his arme, and cary them in his bosome, and shall guide them with young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, measured the sky with the span of his hand, held the dust of the earth in a basket, weighed the mountains in scales, or the hills in a balance?
Who hath measured the waters in his fist? and counted heauen with the spanne, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure? and weighed ye mountaines in a weight, and the hilles in a balance?
13 Who has comprehended the mind of Yahweh, or instructed him as his counselor?
Who hath instructed ye Spirit of the Lord? or was his counseler or taught him?
14 From whom did he ever receive instruction? Who taught him the correct way to do things, and taught him knowledge, or showed to him the way of understanding?
Of whom tooke he counsell, and who instructed him and taught him in the way of iudgement? or taught him knowledge, and shewed vnto him the way of vnderstanding?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded like the dust on the scales; see, he weighs the isles as a speck.
Beholde, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: beholde, he taketh away the yles as a litle dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient fuel, nor its wild animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
And Lebanon is not sufficient for fire, nor the beastes thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are insufficient before him; they are regarded by him as nothing.
All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him, lesse then nothing, and vanitie.
18 To whom then will you compare God? To what idol will you liken him?
To whom then wil ye liken God? or what similitude will ye set vp vnto him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it: The goldsmith overlays it with gold and forges silver chains for it.
The workeman melteth an image, or the goldsmith beateth it out in golde, or the goldesmith maketh siluer plates.
20 To make an offering one chooses a wood that will not rot; he seeks a skillful artisan to make an idol that will not fall over.
Doeth not the poore chuse out a tree that will not rot, for an oblation? he seeketh also vnto him a cunning workeman, to prepare an image, that shall not be moued.
21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Know ye nothing? haue ye not heard it? hath it not bene tolde you from the beginning? haue ye not vnderstand it by the foundation of the earth?
22 He is the one who sits above the horizon of the earth; and the inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out as a tent to live in.
He sitteth vpon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grashoppers, hee stretcheth out ye heauens, as a curtaine, and spreadeth them out, as a tent to dwell in.
23 He reduces rulers to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth insignificant.
He bringeth the princes to nothing, and maketh the iudges of the earth, as vanitie,
24 They are barely planted, barely sown, their stem has barely taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them and they wither, and the wind carries them away like straw.
As though they were not plated, as though they were not sowen, as though their stocke tooke no roote in the earth: for he did euen blow vpon them, and they withered, and the whirlewinde will take them away as stubble.
25 “To whom then will you compare me, whom do I resemble?” says the Holy One.
To whom nowe will ye liken me, that I should be like him, saith the Holy one?
26 Look up at the sky! Who has created all these stars? He leads out their formations and calls them all by name. By the greatness of his might and by the strength of his power, not one is missing.
Lift vp your eyes on hie, and beholde who hath created these things, and bringeth out their armies by nomber, and calleth them all by names? by the greatnesse of his power and mightie strength nothing faileth.
27 Why do you say, Jacob, and declare, Israel, “My way is hidden from Yahweh, and my God is not concerned about my vindication”?
Why sayest thou, O Iaakob, and speakest O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my iudgement is passed ouer of my God?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his understanding.
Knowest thou not? or hast thou not heard, that the euerlasting God, the Lord hath created the endes of the earth? he neither fainteth, nor is wearie: there is no searching of his vnderstanding.
29 He gives strength to the tired; and to the weak he gives renewed energy.
But he giueth strength vnto him that fainteth, and vnto him that hath no strength, he encreaseth power.
30 Even young people become tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall:
Euen the yong men shall faint, and be wearie, and the yong men shall stumble and fall.
31 but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength; they will soar with wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint.
But they that waite vpon the Lord, shall renue their strength: they shall lift vp the wings as the eagles: they shall runne, and not be wearie, and they shall walke and not faint.
