< ʻIsaia 40 >
1 ʻOku pehē ʻe homou ʻOtua, “Mou fakafiemālieʻi, mou fakafiemālieʻi ʻa hoku kakai.
Our God says, “Encourage my people! Encourage them!
2 “Lea fakafiemālie ki Selūsalema, pea kalanga kiate ia, kuo ngata ʻene tau, kuo fakamolemole ʻene hia: he kuo fai ʻae totongi ke liunga ua kiate ia mei he nima ʻo Sihova ʻi heʻene hia kotoa pē.”
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 Ko e leʻo ʻo ia ʻoku kalanga ʻi he toafa, “Teuteu ʻae hala ʻo Sihova, fakatonutonu ʻae hala lahi ʻi he toafa maʻa hotau ʻOtua.”
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 ʻE hakeakiʻi ʻae ngaahi luo kotoa pē, pea ʻe holoki ʻae ngaahi moʻunga meʻe tafungofunga kotoa pē: pea ʻe fakatonutonu ʻae pikopiko, pea ʻe fakatokalelei ʻae ngaahi potu ʻoku tokakovi:
Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and every mountain. Make the uneven ground smooth, and make the rough places smooth.
5 Pea ʻe fakahā ʻae nāunau ʻo Sihova, pea ʻe mamata ki ai ʻae kakai kotoa pē: he kuo folofola pehē ʻae fofonga ʻo Sihova.”
[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 Naʻe pehē ʻe he leʻo, “Kalanga.” Pea naʻa ne pehē, “Ko e hā te u kalanga ʻaki?” “Ko e mohuku ʻae kakano kotoa pē, pea ko e nāunau kotoa pē ʻo ia ʻoku tatau mo e fisi ʻoe ngoue.
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 ʻOku fakaʻaʻau ke mōmoa ʻae mohuku, ʻoku mae ʻae fisiʻiʻakau: koeʻuhi ʻoku angi ki ai ʻae matangi ʻa Sihova: tā ko e moʻoni ko e mohuku ʻae kakai.
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 ʻOku fakaʻaʻau ke mōmoa ʻae mohuku, ʻoku mae ʻae fisiʻiʻakau: ka e tolonga ʻo taʻengata ʻae folofola ʻa hotau ʻOtua.”
The grass withers and the flowers dry up, but what our God promises will last forever.”
9 ʻA koe, ʻoku ʻomi ʻae ongoongolelei ki Saione, ʻalu hake koe ki he moʻunga māʻolunga; ʻa koe, ʻoku ʻomi ʻae ongoongolelei ki Selūsalema, hiki hake ho leʻo ʻi he mālohi; hiki hake ia ʻoua ʻe manavahē; ke ke pehē ki he ngaahi kolo ʻo Siuta, “Vakai ki homou ʻOtua!”
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 Vakai, ʻe hāʻele mai ʻae ʻEiki ko Sihova ʻi he mālohi, pea ʻe pule hono nima moʻona: vakai, ʻoku ʻiate ia hono totongi, pea ʻoku ʻi hono ʻao ʻa ʻene ngāue.
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 Te ne fafanga ʻene fanga sipi ʻo hangē ko e tauhi: te ne tānaki ʻae fanga lami ʻaki hono nima, pea fua ʻakinautolu ʻi hono fatafata, pea tataki fakafiemālie ʻakinautolu ʻoku feitama.
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 Ko hai kuo ne fua ʻae ngaahi vai ʻi hono ʻaofi nima, pea fuofua ʻae langi ʻaki ʻae hanga, pea fakakātoa ʻae efuefu ʻoe fonua ʻi he meʻa fuofua, pea kuo fakamamafa ʻae ngaahi moʻunga ʻi he meʻa fakamamafa, pea mo e ngaahi tafungofunga ʻi he meʻa fakatatau?
[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 Ko hai kuo ne fakahinohino ʻae Laumālie ʻo Sihova, pea hoko ko ʻene akonaki ke fakahinohino ia?
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 Ko hai naʻa na fakakaukau mo ia, koeʻuhi ke ne fakapotoʻi ia, pe ako kiate ia ʻi he hala ʻoe fakamaau, pe ko hai naʻa ne akonakiʻi ia ʻi he ʻilo, pea fakahā kiate ia ʻae hala ʻoe ʻiloʻilo?
(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 Vakai, ʻoku tatau ʻae ngaahi puleʻanga mo e tulutā ʻoe ipu vai, pea ʻoku lau ia ʻo hangē ko e efuefu iiki ʻoe meʻa fakatatau: vakai, ʻoku ne toʻo hake ʻae ngaahi motu ʻo hangē ko e meʻa siʻi ʻaupito.
[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 Pea ʻoku siʻi ʻa Lepanoni ke tutu, pea ʻoku siʻi ʻae fanga manu ʻi ai ki ha feilaulau tutu.
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 ʻOku hangē ko e meʻa noa pe ʻae ngaahi puleʻanga kotoa pē ʻi hono ʻao; pea ʻoku lau ia kiate ia ko e siʻi hifo ʻi he meʻa noa pe, mo e vaʻinga.
The nations of the world are completely insignificant/unimportant to him; he considers that they are worthless and less than nothing [HYP, DOU].
18 Pea te mou fakatatau kia hai ʻae ʻOtua? Pe ko e hā ha fakatātā te mou fakatatau kiate ia?
So, to whom can you compare God? What image resembles him?
19 ʻOku haka ʻe he tangata tufunga ha tamapua, pea ko e tufunga koula ʻoku ʻufiʻufi ia ʻaki ʻae koula, pea ʻoku ne ngaohi ʻae kahoa fihifihi ʻaki ʻae siliva
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 Ko ia ʻoku lahi ʻene masiva pea ʻoku ʻikai haʻane feilaulau, ʻoku ne fili ha ʻakau ʻe ʻikai popo; ʻoku ne kumi kiate ia ha tufunga poto ke fokotuʻu ha tamapua kuo tā ʻaia ʻe ʻikai ueʻi.
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 Kuo taʻeʻilo ʻekimoutolu? Naʻe ʻikai te mou fanongo? ʻIkai kuo fakahā kiate kimoutolu mei he kamataʻanga? ʻIkai kuo mou ʻilo talu mei he ʻai ʻae tuʻunga ʻo māmani?
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 Ko ia ia ʻoku ʻafio ʻi he takatakai ʻo māmani, pea ko e kakai ʻoku nofo ai ʻoku tatau kiate ia mo e fanga heʻe; ko ia ia ʻoku ne fofola ʻae ngaahi langi ʻo hangē ko e puipui, pea folahi ia ʻo hangē ko e fale fehikitaki ke nofo ai:
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 Ko ia ʻoku ne fakahifo ki lalo ʻae houʻeiki ke ʻikai; ʻoku ne ngaohi ʻae kau fakamaau ʻoe fonua ko e vaʻinga.
He causes kings to have no more power, and he causes the rulers to be worth nothing.
24 ʻIo, ʻe ʻikai tō ʻakinautolu; ʻio, ʻe ʻikai tūtuuʻi ʻakinautolu: ʻio, ʻe ʻikai aka ʻi he kelekele honau tefito: pea te ne ifi kiate kinautolu, pea te nau mae, pea ʻe ʻave ʻakinautolu ʻe he ʻahiohio ʻo hangē ko e veve.
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 “ʻOku pehē ʻe he tokotaha māʻoniʻoni, Pea te mou fakatatau au kia hai, pe te u tatau mo hai?
The Holy One asks, “To whom will you compare me? Is anyone equal to me?”
26 Hiki hake homou mata ki ʻolunga, pea vakai pe ko hai kuo ne fakatupu ʻae ngaahi meʻa ni, ʻaia ʻoku ne lau mo taki kituʻa honau tokolahi; ʻoku ne ui ʻakinautolu kotoa pē ʻi honau hingoa ʻi he lahi ʻo hono māfimafi, koeʻuhi ʻoku mālohi ia ʻi he māfimafi, ʻoku ʻikai ha taha ʻoku taʻehāmai.
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 Ko e hā ʻoku ke pehē, ʻe Sēkope, pea ke pehē, ʻE ʻIsileli, “Kuo fufū hoku hala meia Sihova, pea kuo taʻetokanga ʻa hoku ʻOtua ki hoku fakamaau?”
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 “ʻIkai naʻa ke ʻilo? ʻIkai naʻa ke fanongo, ko Sihova ko e ʻOtua taʻengata ia, ko e Tupuʻanga ʻoe ngaahi ngataʻanga ʻo māmani, ʻoku ʻikai pongia ia, pea ʻoku ʻikai vaivai? ʻOku taʻefaʻaʻiloʻi ʻa ʻene ʻilo.
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 ʻOku ne foaki ʻae mālohi ki he vaivai; pea kiate kinautolu ʻoku ʻikai haʻanau mālohi ʻoku ne fakatupu ʻae mālohi.
He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
30 ʻIo ʻe pongia ʻae fānau tupu pea vaivai, pea ʻe hinga ʻaupito mo e kau talavou:
Even youths become faint and weary, and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
31 Ka ko kinautolu ʻoku tatali kia Sihova ʻe fakafoʻou honau mālohi; te nau puna hake ʻaki ʻae kapakau ʻo hangē ko e fanga ʻikale; te nau lele ka e ʻikai vaivai; pea te nau ʻeveʻeva, kā ʻe ʻikai pongia.”
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.