Isaiah 40

1 Comfort all of you, comfort all of you my people, says your God.

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

2 Speak all of you comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of 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 cries in the wilderness, Prepare all of you 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 shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has 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 the goodliness thereof 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 withers, the flower fades: because the spirit of the LORD blows 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 withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

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

9 O Zion, that bring good tidings, get you up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto 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 shall 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 shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall 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 has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out 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 has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor has 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 takes 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 thereof 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 all of you liken God? or what likeness will all of you compare unto him?

And to whom do you liken God, And what likeness do you compare to Him?

19 The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts 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 has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto him a cunning 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 all of you not known? have all of you not heard? has it not been told you from the beginning? have all of you 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 sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads 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 brings the princes to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

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

24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, 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 all of you liken me, or shall I be equal? says 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 has created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one fails.

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 say you, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from 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 Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints 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 gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases 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; and 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!