Esaias 40
1 Trøysta, trøysta mitt folk! Segjer dykkar Gud.
Give comfort, give comfort, to my people, says your God.
2 Tala mildt til Jerusalem, og ropa til henne, at striden hennar er enda, at skuldi hennar er kvitta, at ho hev fenge av Herren tvifelt for alle sine synder.
Say kind words to the heart of Jerusalem, crying out to her that her time of trouble is ended, that her punishment is complete; that she has been rewarded by the Lord's hand twice over for all her sins.
3 Høyr, det ropar: «Brøyt i heidi veg for Herren! Jamna til i øydemarki gata for vår Gud!
A voice of one crying, Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God.
4 Kvar ein dal skal hevjast, kvart eit berg og bakke jamnast, haugarne verta ei sletta, og hamrarne verta til flatland.
Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough places become level, and the hilltops become a valley,
5 Herrens herlegdom skal te seg, alt kjøt skal det få sjå. For Herrens munn hev tala.»
And the glory of the Lord will be made clear, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has said it.
6 Høyr, det segjer: «Preika!» Svarar ein: «Kva skal eg preika?» «Alt kjøt er gras, og alt dess ynde som blom på marki.
A voice of one saying, Give a cry! And I said, What is my cry to be? All flesh is grass, and all its strength like the flower of the field.
7 Graset visnar, blomen folnar, når Herrens ande blæs på deim. Ja, i sanning, folk er gras.
The grass becomes dry, the flower is dead; because the breath of the Lord goes over it: truly the people is grass.
8 Graset visnar, blomen folnar, men ordet frå vår Gud stend æveleg.»
The grass is dry, the flower is dead; but the word of our God is eternal.
9 Stig upp på høge fjellet, du Sion, fagnadbod! Lat røysti ljoma sterkt, Jerusalem, du gledebod! Lat ljoma, ræddast ei! Seg det til Judas byar: «Sjå der er dykkar Gud!»
You who give good news to Zion, get up into the high mountain; you who give good news to Jerusalem, let your voice be strong; let it be sounding without fear; say to the towns of Judah, See, your God!
10 Sjå, Herren, Herren kjem, den sterke, og med sin arm han ter si magt. Si løn han fører med seg, og fyre gjeng dei han hev vunne.
See, the Lord God will come as a strong one, ruling in power: see, those made free by him are with him, and those whom he has made safe go before him.
11 Som hyrding gjæter buskap sin, han sankar deim i armen, smålambi ber ved barmen, og leider møderne vart og lint.
He will give food to his flock like a keeper of sheep; with his arm he will get it together, and will take up the lambs on his breast, gently guiding those which are with young.
12 Kven hev vatnet mælt i sin love, og yver himmelen spanna, og jordmoldi mælt i kanna, og vege fjell på bismar, og haugarne lagt på skålvegt?
In the hollow of whose hand have the waters been measured? and who is able to take the heavens in his stretched-out fingers? who has got together the dust of the earth in a measure? who has taken the weight of the mountains, or put the hills into the scales?
13 Kven hev rettleidt Herrens ande? Kven gjev honom råd og lærdom?
By whom has the spirit of the Lord been guided, or who has been his teacher?
14 Kven tok han på råd til å gjeve seg skyn, til å lære seg rette vegen, og læra seg kunnskap og visa seg vegen til vit?
Who gave him suggestions, and made clear to him the right way? who gave him knowledge, guiding him in the way of wisdom?
15 Nei, folki er som ein drope på vatsspann, som dust i skålvegt dei reknast, og øylandi føykjer han som fjom.
See, the nations are to him like a drop hanging from a bucket, and like the small dust in the scales: he takes up the islands like small dust.
16 Libanon hev ikkje nok av ved, og ikkje offerdyr nok.
And Lebanon is not enough to make a fire with, or all its cattle enough for a burned offering.
17 Som inkje er alle folki for honom, han reknar deim for tome inkjevetta.
All the nations are as nothing before him; even less than nothing, a thing of no value.
18 Kven vil de då likna Gud med? Kva bilæte setja ved sida?
Whom then is God like, in your opinion? or what will you put forward as a comparison with him?
19 Bilætet, det støyper meisteren, og gullsmeden gyller det, og støyper sylvkjedor til det.
The workman makes an image, and the gold-worker puts gold plates over it, and makes silver bands for it.
20 Er ein for arm til slik ei gåva, vel han seg tre som ikkje morknar, og leitar upp ein dugleg meister, som set eit stødigt bilæt’ upp.
The wise workman makes selection of the mulberry-tree of the offering, a wood which will not become soft; so that the image may be fixed to it and not be moved.
21 Skynar de ikkje? Høyrer de ikkje? Er det’kje meldt dykk frå fyrste stund? Greider de ikkje jorderiks grunnar?
Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? has not news of it been given to you from the first? has it not been clear to you from the time when the earth was placed on its base?
22 Han sit høgt yver jordheims-kringen, dei som der bur, er som grashoppesverm. Himmelen breidde han ut som ein florduk, spana han ut som eit tjeld til å bu i.
It is he who is seated over the arch of the earth, and the people in it are as small as locusts; by him the heavens are stretched out like an arch, and made ready like a tent for a living-place.
23 Hovdingar gjer han til ingen ting, domarar på jordi til inkjevetta.
He makes rulers come to nothing; the judges of the earth are of no value.
24 Knapt er dei planta, knapt er dei sådde, knapt hev dei rotfest i jordi sin stomn, fyrr han andar på deim, og dei visnar, stormen føykjer deim burt som strå.
They have only now been planted, and their seed put into the earth, and they have only now taken root, when he sends out his breath over them and they become dry, and the storm-wind takes them away like dry grass.
25 Kven vil de likna meg med, so eg honom liktest? den Heilage segjer.
Who then seems to you to be my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Lyft dykkar augo mot høgdi, og sjå kven hev som desse hev skapt! Han som mynstrer heren deira, nemner deim alle på namn. Stor i velde og sterk i kraft ikkje han saknar ein.
Let your eyes be lifted up on high, and see: who has made these? He who sends out their numbered army: who has knowledge of all their names: by whose great strength, because he is strong in power, all of them are in their places.
27 Kvi vil du segja, Jakob, og tala so, Israel: «Min veg er løynd for Herren, og min rett kjem burt for min Gud?»
Why do you say, O Jacob, such words as these, O Israel, The Lord's eyes are not on my way, and my God gives no attention to my cause?
28 Hev du’kje skyna det? Hev du’kje høyrt det? Herren han er ein æveleg Gud, han hev skapt den vide verdi. Han vert ikkje trøytt, han vert ikkje mod, hans vit kann ingen grunda ut.
Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? The eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom.
29 Han gjev den trøytte kraft og aukar styrken for magtlaus mann.
He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.
30 Gutar vert trøytte og mode, og unge karar lyt snåva.
Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength;
31 Men dei som vonar på Herren, fær atter kraft, dei fær nye vengjefjører som ørnar. Dei spring og trøytnar ikkje, dei gjeng og mødest ei.
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
