Isaaya 40
1 Mugumye, mugumye abantu bange, bw’ayogera Katonda wammwe.
Our God says, “Encourage my people! Encourage them!
2 Muzzeemu Yerusaalemi amaanyi mumubuulire nti, entalo ze ziweddewo, n’obutali butuukirivu bwe busasuliddwa. Era Mukama amusasudde emirundi ebiri olw’ebibi bye byonna.
Speak kindly to [the people of] Jerusalem; tell them that their suffering is ended, and that I have forgiven them for the sins that they have committed; I [SYN] have fully punished them for their sins.”
3 Eddoboozi ly’oyo ayogera liwulikika ng’agamba nti, “Muteeketeeke ekkubo lya Mukama mu ddungu, mutereeze oluguudo lwe mu ddungu.
I hear someone who is shouting, “Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh to come [to you]; make a smooth road for our God (OR, Prepare yourselves to receive Yahweh when he comes, like people make a straight road for an important official [MET]).
4 Buli kiwonvu kirigulumizibwa, na buli lusozi n’akasozi ne bikkakkanyizibwa. N’obukyamu buligololwa, ebifo ebitali bisende ne bitereezebwa.
Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and every mountain. Make the uneven ground smooth, and make the rough places smooth.
5 Ekitiibwa kya Mukama kiribikkulwa, ne bonna abalina omubiri balikirabira wamu, kubanga akamwa ka Mukama ke kakyogedde.”
[If you do that], it will become known that Yahweh is glorious/great, and all people will realize it at the same time. [Those things will surely happen] because it is Yahweh who has said [MTY] it.”
6 Ne mpulira eddoboozi nga ligamba nti, “Yogera mu ddoboozi ery’omwanguka.” Ne ŋŋamba nti, “Nnaayogera ki?” Ne linziramu nti, gamba nti, “Abantu bonna bali nga muddo, n’obulungi bwabwe bumala ennaku ntono ng’ebimuli eby’omu nnimiro.
Someone said to me, “Shout!” I replied, “What should I shout?” [He replied], “[Shout that] people are like [SIM] grass; their influence fades as quickly as flowers in the field.
7 Omuddo guwotoka, ekimuli kiyongobera, omukka gwa Mukama bwe gugufuuwako. Mazima abantu muddo.
Grass withers and flowers dry up when Yahweh causes a hot wind from the desert to blow on them. And people are [MET] like that.
8 Omuddo guwotoka, ekimuli kiyongobera, naye ekigambo kya Katonda waffe kibeerera emirembe gyonna.”
The grass withers and the flowers dry up, but what our God promises will last forever.”
9 Ggwe abuulira Sayuuni ebigambo ebirungi, werinnyire ku lusozi oluwanvu; ggwe abuulira Yerusaalemi ebigambo ebirungi, yimusa eddoboozi lyo n’amaanyi, liyimuse oyogere, totya. Gamba ebibuga bya Yuda nti, “Laba Katonda wammwe ajja!”
You [people of] Jerusalem, you have good news to tell to people, so, shout it from the top of a high mountain! Shout it loudly, and do not be afraid! Tell the people in the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming here!”
10 Laba, Mukama Katonda ajja n’amaanyi mangi era afuga n’omukono gwe ogw’amaanyi ag’ekitalo. Laba empeera ye eri mu mukono gwe, buli muntu afune nga bw’akoze.
Yahweh your God will be coming with power; he will rule powerfully [MTY]. And when he comes, he will bring with him the people whom he has freed [MET] [from being slaves in Babylonia].
11 Aliisa ekisibo kye ng’omusumba, akuŋŋaanya abaana b’endiga mu mukono gwe n’abasitula mu kifuba kye, n’akulembera mpola mpola ezibayonsa.
He will take care of his people like [SIM] a shepherd takes care of his sheep, and carries the young lambs in his arms. He carries them close to his chest and he gently leads the female sheep that are nursing their young lambs.
12 Ani eyali ageze amazzi g’ennyanja mu kibatu kye, n’apima eggulu n’oluta, n’apima enfuufu y’oku nsi mu kibbo, oba n’apima ensozi ku minzaani, n’obusozi ku kipima?
[There is no one like Yahweh]! (Who else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand?/No one else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand!) [RHQ] (Who else has measured the sky with his fingers?/No one else has measured the sky with his fingers!) [RHQ] (Who else knows how much the earth weighs?/No one else knows how much the earth weighs!) [RHQ] (Who else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales?/No one else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales!) [RHQ]
13 Ani eyali aluŋŋamizza Omwoyo wa Mukama? Ani ayinza okumuyigiriza n’amuwa amagezi?
And (who else can advise Yahweh’s Spirit?/No one else can advise Yahweh’s Spirit!) [RHQ] (Who can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do?/No one can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do!) [RHQ]
14 Ani gwe yali yeebuuzizzako amuwe ku magezi, era ani eyali amuyigirizza ekkubo ettuufu? Ani eyali amusomesezza eby’amagezi n’amulaga okuyiga, n’okumanya n’okutegeera?
(Has Yahweh consulted anyone else to get advice?/Yahweh has certainly not consulted anyone else to get advice!) [RHQ] (Does he need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly?/He certainly does not need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly!) [RHQ]
15 Laba amawanga gali ng’ettondo eriri mu nsuwa, era ng’enfuufu ekutte ku minzaani, apima ebizinga ng’apima olufuufu ku minzaani.
[Yahweh considers that] the nations are [as insignificant as] [MET] one drop from a bucket [full of water]. They are [as insignificant as] dust on scales. He is able to weigh islands [as though they weighed no more than] grains of sand.
16 N’ensolo zonna ez’omu kibira kya Lebanooni tezimala kubeera kiweebwayo eri Katonda waffe, n’emiti gyamu gyonna mitono nnyo tegisobola kuvaamu nku zimala.
There would be [not] enough wood from all the trees in Lebanon to make a suitable fire for [sacrificing animals to] him, and there are not enough animals in Lebanon to offer as sacrifices to him.
17 Amawanga gonna ag’omu nsi gabalibwa mu maaso ge, gy’ali gabalibwa nga si kintu n’akamu.
The nations of the world are completely insignificant/unimportant to him; he considers that they are worthless and less than nothing [HYP, DOU].
18 Kale ani gwe mulifaananya Katonda? Oba kifaananyi ki kye mulimugeraageranyizaako?
So, to whom can you compare God? What image resembles him?
19 Ekifaananyi ekyole omukozi akifumba, n’omuweesi wa zaabu n’akibikkako zaabu, n’akibikkako n’emikuufu egya ffeeza.
Can you compare him to an idol that is made in a mold, and then is covered with [a thin sheet of] gold and decorated with silver chains?
20 Oyo omwavu atasobola kufuna ffeeza oba zaabu afuna omuti omugumu ogutavunda ne yenoonyeza omukozi omugezigezi okusimba n’okunyweza ekifaananyi ekyole.
A man who is poor [cannot buy silver or gold for his idol]; [so] he selects a piece of wood that will not rot, and he gives it to a craftsman to carve an idol that will not fall down!
21 Temunnamanya, temunnawulira, temubuulirwanga okuva ku kutondebwa kw’ensi?
Have you(pl) not heard this? Do you not understand it? Are you unable to hear what God said long ago— [messages that he gave] before he created the earth?
22 Katonda atuula ku nsi enneekulungirivu, era gy’ali abantu bali ng’amayanzi. Atimba eggulu ng’olutimbe era alibamba ng’eweema ey’okubeeramu.
God sits [on his throne] above the earth, and the people [on the earth] below seem to be [as small] as [SIM] grasshoppers. He spreads out the sky like a curtain; it is like [SIM] a tent for him to live in.
23 Afuula abafuzi obutaba kintu, afuula n’abalamuzi mu nsi okuba ekitaliimu.
He causes kings to have no more power, and he causes the rulers to be worth nothing.
24 Bali ng’ebisimbe ebyakamera biba bya kasimbibwa, biba byakasigibwa, biba byakaleeta emirandira, nga abifuuwa nga biwotoka, ng’embuyaga ebitwalira ddala ng’ebisasiro.
They start to rule, like small plants start to grow and form roots; but then [he gets rid of them] as though [MET] they withered when he blew on them, like [SIM] chaff that is blown away by the wind.
25 “Kale mulinfaananya ani, ani gwe mulinnenkanya?” bw’ayogera Omutukuvu.
The Holy One asks, “To whom will you compare me? Is anyone equal to me?”
26 Muyimuse amaaso gammwe mulabe ebiri ku ggulu. Ani eyatonda ebyo byonna? Oyo afulumya ebyaka eby’omu bbanga afulumya kina kimu, byonna nga bwe biri, n’abiyita amannya gaabyo. Olw’obukulu bw’obuyinza bwe era kubanga wa maanyi ga nsusso, tewali na kimu kibulako.
Look up toward the sky: Consider who [RHQ] created all the stars. [Yahweh created them], and at night he causes them to appear; he calls each one by its name. Because he is extremely powerful [DOU], all of the stars are there [LIT] [when he calls out their names].
27 Lwaki ogamba ggwe Yakobo era ne wemulugunya ggwe Isirayiri nti, “Mukama tamanyi mitawaana gye mpitamu, era tafaayo nga tuggyibwako eddembe lyaffe ery’obwebange”?
You people of Israel [DOU], why do you complain that Yahweh does not see the [troubles that you are experiencing]? Why do you say that he does not act fairly toward you?
28 Tonnamanya? Tonnawulira? Mukama, ye Katonda ataliggwaawo. Omutonzi w’enkomerero y’ensi. Tazirika so takoowa era n’amagezi ge tewali n’omu ayinza kugapima.
Have you never heard and have you never understood that Yahweh is the everlasting God; he is the one who created the earth, [even the] most distant places on the earth. He never becomes weak or weary, and no one can find out how much he understands.
29 Awa amaanyi abazirika, n’oyo atalina buyinza amwongerako amaanyi.
He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
30 Abavubuka bazirika, bakoowa, n’abalenzi bagwira ddala.
Even youths become faint and weary, and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
31 Naye abo abalindirira Mukama baliddamu buggya amaanyi gaabwe, balitumbiira n’ebiwaawaatiro ng’empungu; balidduka mbiro ne batakoowa, balitambula naye ne batazirika.
But those who trust in Yahweh will become strong again; [it will be as though] they will soar/fly high like [SIM] eagles do. They will run [for a long time] and not become weary; they will walk [long distances] and not faint.
