Isaiah 40
1 Our God says, “Encourage my people! Encourage them!
Mifa akɔ, mifa akɔ na nye amewo, miaƒe Mawu lae gblɔe.
2 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.”
De dzi ƒo na Yerusalem, eye nàgblɔ nɛ be, eƒe dɔ sesẽ wɔwɔ wu enu. Woxe fe ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta be ekpɔ teƒeɖoɖo eve tso Yehowa gbɔ ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta.
3 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]).
Ame si le ɣli dom le gbea dzi ƒe gbe enye esi: “Midzra Yehowa ƒe mɔ ɖo le gbegbe. Mita mɔ dzɔdzɔe ɖe gbedadaƒo na miaƒe Mawu la.
4 Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and every mountain. Make the uneven ground smooth, and make the rough places smooth.
Balimewo katã akɔ kpo, eye woabɔbɔ to kple togbɛ ɖe sia ɖe ɖe anyi; anyigba tsakliwo katã azu zɔzrɔ̃e, eye teƒe siwo katã kɔ kpo la azu sɔsɔe.
5 [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.”
Woaɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe ɖe go, eye amegbetɔƒomea katã akpɔe, elabena Yehowa ƒe nue gblɔe.”
6 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.
Gbe aɖe ɖi be, “Ɖe gbeƒã!” eye mebia be, “Nu ka ƒe gbeƒã maɖe?” “Amegbetɔwo katã le abe gbe ene, eye woƒe atsyɔ̃ le abe seƒoƒo le gbe me ene.
7 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.
Gbe ƒuna, eye seƒoƒo yrɔna, elabena Yehowa ƒe gbɔgbɔ gbɔ ɖe wo dzi. Vavãe amewo katã le abe gbe ene.
8 The grass withers and the flowers dry up, but what our God promises will last forever.”
Gbe ƒuna, eye seƒoƒo yrɔna, ke miaƒe Mawu ƒe nya nɔa anyi tegbee.”
9 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!”
Wò ame si tsɔ du nyui vɛ na Zion, lia to kɔkɔ aɖe. Wò ame si tsɔ du nyui vɛ na Yerusalem, kɔ wò gbe dzi nàdo ɣli, kɔ gbe dzi, mègavɔ̃ o; gblɔ na Yuda ƒe duwo be, “Miaƒe Mawue nye esi!”
10 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].
Kpɔ ɖa, Aƒetɔ Mawu gbɔna kple ŋusẽ, eye eƒe abɔ le dzi be yeaɖu fia. Kpɔ ɖa, eƒe fetu kpe ɖe eŋuti, eye eƒe teƒeɖoɖo hã kpe ɖe eŋuti.
11 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.
Anyi eƒe alẽhawo abe alẽkplɔla ene; alé alẽviawo ɖe abɔdome, alé wo ɖe eƒe akɔnu, eye wòakplɔ alẽnɔwo kple beléle.
12 [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]
Ame kae dzidze tsi ɖe eƒe asiʋlome alo tsɔ eƒe asi ƒe kekeme dzidze dziƒoe? Ame kae lɔ ke si le anyigba la ɖe nudonu me alo da towo le nudanu me kple togbɛwo le nudanu dzi?
13 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]
Ame kae ase Yehowa ƒe susu gɔme alo anye eƒe aɖaŋudela aɖo aɖaŋu nɛ?
14 (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]
Ame ka gbɔ Yehowa yi be wòaɖe nugɔme nɛ alo wòafia mɔ dzɔdzɔetɔe? Ame kae fia nunya alo gɔmesese ƒe mɔe?
15 [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.
Vavãe dukɔwo le abe tsi si ge toŋtoŋ tso tɔkpo me ene, wobu wo abe ʋuʋudedi le nudanu dzi ene, eye wòda ƒukpowo le nudanu dzi abe ʋuʋudedi ko wonye ene.
16 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.
Lebanon ƒe avemetiwo mesɔ gbɔ woatsɔ awɔ nakee ado dzoe le vɔsamlekpui dzi o, eye eƒe lãhawo hã mesɔ gbɔ ade numevɔsawo nu o.
17 The nations of the world are completely insignificant/unimportant to him; he considers that they are worthless and less than nothing [HYP, DOU].
Dukɔwo katã menye naneke le eƒe ŋkume o. Ebua wo abe nu maɖinuwo ko ene, eye wonye tofloko.
18 So, to whom can you compare God? What image resembles him?
Ekema ame ka míatsɔ asɔ kple Mawu, eye nɔnɔme ka míatsɔ asɔ kplii?
19 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?
Legba nye aɖaŋuwɔla ƒe nuwɔwɔ. Sikanutulae tsɔ sika fa ɖe eŋu, eye wòtsɔ klosalo wɔ kɔsɔkɔsɔ de nɛ.
20 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!
Ame dahe si, si nu siawo mele o la wɔa ati si megblẽna o la ŋu dɔ. Edia atikpala si aɖaŋu le mo na be wòakpa aklamakpakpɛ, eye wòalii be mamu adze anyi o.
21 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?
Ɖe mienya oa? Ɖe miesee oa? Ɖe womegblɔe na mi tso gɔmedzedzea me ke oa? Ɖe miese egɔme tso anyigba ƒe gɔmeɖoanyiɣi ke oa?
22 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.
Eyae nye ame si nɔ fiazi dzi le xexea me godoo tame, eye anyigbadzinɔlawo le abe abɔwo ene le ete. Ekeke dziƒowo abe avɔ ene, eye wòwɔe abe avɔgbadɔ si me wonɔna la ene.
23 He causes kings to have no more power, and he causes the rulers to be worth nothing.
Eɖea bubu le amegãwo dzi, eye wòwɔa xexe sia me dziɖulawo wozua nu maɖinuwo.
24 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.
Womekpɔ do wo o, womekpɔ ƒã wo o, womekpɔ to ke ɖe anyigba me o, kasia egbɔ ɖe wo dzi, woyrɔ, eye ya va kplɔ wo dzoe abe atsa ene.
25 The Holy One asks, “To whom will you compare me? Is anyone equal to me?”
Kɔkɔetɔ la be, “Ame ka miatsɔm asɔ kplii alo ame kae sɔ kplim?”
26 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].
Miwu mo dzi ne miakpɔ dziƒo. Ame ka wɔ nu siawo katã? Ame si ɖe dziƒoŋunuwo ɖe go ɖekaɖeka, eye wòna ŋkɔ ɖe sia ɖe lae. Le eƒe ŋusẽ triakɔ kple eƒe alɔ sesẽ la ta, mena ɖeke bu le wo dome o.
27 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?
O! Yakob, nu ka ta nègblɔ ale, eye O! Israel, nu ka ta nègblɔ be, “Nye mo ɣla ɖe Yehowa, eye nye Mawu metsɔ ɖeke le nye nyawo me o?”
28 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.
Ɖe mènyae oa? Ɖe mèsee oa? Yehowae nye Mawu mavɔtɔ la. Eyae nye anyigba ƒe seƒe ke Wɔla. Ɖeɖi metea eŋu alo nu tia kɔ nɛ o. Eƒe nugɔmesese goglo. Ame aɖeke mate ŋu adzro eme akpɔ o.
29 He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
Ena ŋusẽ ame siwo ŋu ɖeɖi te, eye wòdoa ŋusẽ ame siwo gbɔdzɔ.
30 Even youths become faint and weary, and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
Nu tia kɔ na sɔhɛwo gɔ̃ hã, eye wogbɔdzɔna. Nenema ke ŋusẽ vɔna le ɖekakpuiwo ŋu, eye wodzea anyi,
31 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.
gake ame siwo kpɔa mɔ na Yehowa la ƒe ŋusẽ gaɖoa yeye me. Woadzo ayi dzi abe hɔ̃wo ene. Woaƒu du, gake ɖeɖi mate wo ŋu o. Woazɔ azɔli, gake nu mati kɔ na wo o.
