Isaiah 40

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

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

2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received from the LORD'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 him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, 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 be made straight, and the rough places plain.

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 the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see [it]: for the mouth of the LORD hath 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 its goodliness [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 withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth 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 withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall shall stand forever.

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

9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, go up upon the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, 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 GOD will come with strong [hand], and his arm will rule for him: behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work 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 with his arm, and carry [them] in his bosom, [and] will gently lead those that are with 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 hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and measured 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 hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or [being] his counselor hath taught him?

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

14 With whom took he counsel, and [who] instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, 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 counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh 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 nations before him [are] as nothing; and they are counted to him 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 workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth 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 that [is] so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree [that] will not rot; he seeketh for himself a skillful workman to prepare 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 ye not heard? hath 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 that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants [are] as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth 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 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

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

24 Yes, they shall not be planted; yes, they shall not be sown: yes, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take 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, or shall I be equaled? saith 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 behold who hath created these [things], that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that [he] is strong in power; not one faileth.

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 sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over by 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 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither 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 giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth 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 they that wait upon the LORD 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!