Isaiæ 40
1 Consolamini, consolamini popule meus, dicit Deus vester.
“Comfort, yes comfort my people!” says your God.
2 Loquimini ad cor Ierusalem, et advocate eam: quoniam completa est malitia eius, dimissa est iniquitas illius: suscepit de manu Domini duplicia pro omnibus peccatis suis.
“Speak lovingly to the people of Jerusalem, telling them that their hard times are over, that their sins have been forgiven, and that the Lord has paid them twice over for their sins.”
3 Vox clamantis in deserto: Parate viam Domini, rectas facite in solitudine semitas Dei nostri.
A voice is heard calling, “Prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness, make a straight highway for our God through the desert.
4 Omnis vallis exaltabitur, et omnis mons et collis humiliabitur, et erunt prava in directa, et aspera in vias planas.
Fill in all the valleys; level all the mountains and hills; smooth out the uneven ground; make the rough places flat.
5 Et revelabitur gloria Domini, et videbit omnis caro pariter quod os Domini locutum est.
The Lord's glory will be revealed, and everyone will see it together. This is what the Lord has declared.”
6 Vox dicentis: Clama. Et dixi: Quid clamabo? Omnis caro foenum, et omnis gloria eius quasi flos agri.
A voice is heard saying, “Shout it out.” I asked, “What shall I shout?” “All human beings are like grass, and all their trustworthiness is like the flowers of the field.
7 Exiccatum est foenum, et cecidit flos, quia spiritus Domini sufflavit in eo. Vere foenum est populus:
The grass wilts and the flower fades when the Lord's breathes on them. Yes, the people are grass!
8 exiccatum est foenum, et cecidit flos: Verbum autem Domini nostri manet in aeternum.
However, even though the grass wilts and the flower fades, the word of our God will endure forever.”
9 Super montem excelsum ascende, tu qui evangelizas Sion: exalta in fortitudine vocem tuam, qui evangelizas Ierusalem: exalta, noli timere. Dic civitatibus Iuda: Ecce Deus vester:
Zion, bringer of good news, go up a high mountain. Jerusalem, bringer of good news, raise your voice and shout out loud. Don't be afraid to shout really loud! Tell the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
10 ecce Dominus Deus in fortitudine veniet, et brachium eius dominabitur: ecce merces eius cum eo, et opus illius coram illo.
Look! The Lord God is coming with power! He will rule with a firm hand. Look! He's bringing his reward with him, coming to give his gift.
11 Sicut pastor gregem suum pascet: in brachio suo congregabit agnos, et in sinu suo levabit, foetas ipse portabit.
He looks after his flock like a shepherd. He picks up the lambs in his arms and holds them close to his chest. He leads those that are nursing young.
12 Quis mensus est pugillo aquas, et caelos palmo ponderavit? quis appendit tribus digitis molem terrae, et libravit in pondere montes, et colles in statera?
Who has measured the waters he holds in the palm of his hand? Who has marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has worked out the amount of dust of the earth? Who has weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?
13 Quis adiuvit spiritum Domini? aut quis consiliarius eius fuit, et ostendit illi?
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or taught him what to do as his counselor?
14 Cum quo iniit consilium, et instruxit eum, et docuit eum semitam iustitiae, et erudivit eum scientiam, et viam prudentiae ostendit illi?
Who did the Lord go to for advice to help him understand? Who taught him right from wrong? Who gave him knowledge and showed him the way of wisdom?
15 Ecce Gentes quasi stilla situlae, et quasi momentum staterae reputatae sunt: ecce insulae quasi pulvis exiguus.
It's obvious that the nations are just a drop in a bucket. They're like dust on a set of scales. He can pick up islands as if they weigh next to nothing.
16 Et Libanus non sufficiet ad succendendum, et animalia eius non sufficient ad holocaustum.
All the wood in Lebanon for a fire and all its animals as a sacrifice wouldn't be enough a burnt offering.
17 Omnes gentes quasi non sint, sic sunt coram eo, et quasi nihilum et inane reputatae sunt ei.
To him all the nations are like nothing. He counts them as less than nothing—like they don't exist.
18 Cui ergo similem fecisti Deum? aut quam imaginem ponetis ei?
Who do you think is like God? What image do you think he looks like?
19 Numquid sculptile conflavit faber? aut aurifex auro figuravit illud, et laminis argenteis argentarius?
Is he a metal idol that a craftsman casts in a mold, and then a goldsmith overlays it with gold and makes silver chains for it?
20 Forte lignum, et imputribile elegit: artifex sapiens quaerit quomodo statuat simulacrum, quod non moveatur.
Those who are too poor to pay for that choose wood that won't rot, then they look for a skilled wood-carver to make an idol that won't fall over.
21 Numquid non scitis? numquid non audistis? numquid non annunciatum est vobis ab initio? numquid non intellexistis fundamenta terrae?
Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Hasn't it been explained to you from the very beginning? Haven't you understood from the time the world was created?
22 Qui sedet super gyrum terrae, et habitatores eius sunt quasi locustae: qui extendit velut nihilum caelos, et expandit eos sicut tabernaculum ad inhabitandum.
God sits on his throne above the horizon of the earth; the people that live there are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, spreading them out like a tent to live in.
23 Qui dat secretorum scrutatores quasi non sint, iudices terrae velut inane fecit:
He brings leaders down; he makes the rulers of the world like nothing.
24 et quidem neque plantatus, neque satus, neque radicatus in terra truncus eorum: repente flavit in eos, et aruerunt, et turbo quasi stipulam auferet eos.
In fact they are hardly even planted, hardly even sown, hardly even taken root, when he blows on them and they wither, and the wind carries them away like straw.
25 Et cui assimilastis me, et adaequastis, dicit sanctus?
“Who are you going to compare me with? Who is equal to me?” asks the Holy One.
26 Levate in excelsum oculos vestros, et videte quis creavit haec: qui educit in numero militiam eorum, et omnes ex nomine vocat: prae multitudine fortitudinis et roboris, virtutisque eius, neque unum reliquum fuit.
Look at the heavens. Who created all this? He leads the stars like an army, and calls each one by name. Because he has great power and incredible strength, not a single one of them is missing.
27 Quare dicis Iacob, et loqueris Israel: Abscondita est via mea a Domino, et a Deo meo iudicium meum transivit?
Why do you speak like this, Jacob, and why do you say, Israel, “The Lord doesn't see what's happening to me, and he's ignoring my rights!”
28 Numquid nescis, aut non audisti? Deus sempiternus Dominus, qui creavit terminos terrae: non deficiet, neque laborabit, nec est investigatio sapientiae eius.
Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the eternal God, the Creator of the whole earth. He's never weak or tired; you can't find out all he knows.
29 Qui dat lasso virtutem: et his, qui non sunt, fortitudinem et robur multiplicat.
He gives strength to the weary and power the powerless.
30 Deficient pueri, et laborabunt, et iuvenes in infirmitate cadent.
Even young people grow weak and tired—they fall down when they're exhausted.
31 Qui autem sperant in Domino, mutabunt fortitudinem, assument pennas sicut aquilae, current et non laborabunt, ambulabunt et non deficient.
But those who trust in the Lord will have their strength renewed. They will fly high with wings like eagles. They will run and not be tired. They will walk and not be worn out.
