Chapter 40 – Chapter 41

Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

1 Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, Saith your God.

2 Speak ye according to the heart of Jerusalem; And cry to her, That her warfare is accomplished; That her iniquity is pardoned; For she hath received at the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins.

Note 260. Or, Her misery is ended.

3 A voice crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of Jehovah; Make straight in the desert a path for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, And every mountain And hill shall be laid low; And the crooked shall be made straight, And the rough places shall become a plain.

5 And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; That the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

6 The voice said, Cry; And I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, And all the goodliness of it as the flower of the field.

Note 261. Or, Was saying.

7 The grass is withered; The flower is faded; Because the breath of Jehovah hath blown upon it. Surely, the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth; The flower fadeth; But the word of our God shall stand for ever.

9 Go up into the high mountain, O Zion, that bringest tidings; Lift up thy voice aloud, O Jerusalem, that bringest tidings; Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord Jehovah shall come with strength; And his arm shall be powerful. Behold, his reward is with him, And his work is before his face.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs in his arm, And shall early them in his bosom, And shall gently lead those that are with young.

12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And measured the heavens with his palm, And held with three fingers the dust of the earth, And weighed the mountains in scales, And the heavens in a balance?

13 Who hath instructed the spirit of Jehovah, Or hath guided him by counsel, And hath taught him?

14 From whom sought he counsel, that he might advise him? And who taught him the path of judgment, And instructed him in knowledge, And showed to him the way of wisdom?

15 Lo, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, And are reckoned as the small dust of the balance; Lo, he taketh up the islands as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon would not be sufficient to make a fire, Nor its beasts for a burnt-offering.

17 All nations are as nothing before him, And in comparison of him are reckoned less than nothing, And what hath no existence.

18 To whom then have ye likened God? Or what resemblance will ye appoint to him?

19 The workman prepareth a graven image, The goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, And (casteth) golden chains.

20 The poor man chooseth for his offering wood that will not rot; He procureth a skilful workman. To prepare a graven image that shall not be moved.

21 Do ye not know? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not been instructed from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth on the circle of the earth, The inhabitants of which are as locusts; He stretcheth out heaven as a curtain, And spreadeth it out as a tent to be inhabited.

23 He bringeth the mighty to nothing, The rulers of the earth as if they were not.

24 It is as if they had not been planted; It is as if they had not been sown; It is as if their stock had no root in the earth. Even while he bloweth on them, they wither, And the whirlwind carrieth them away as stubble.

25 And to whom will ye liken me, That I may be like? saith the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who hath created those things, Bringing out their army by number; He will call to all of them by name; By the greatness of his strength, And by the might of his power, None shall fail.

Note 262. Or, None shall be wanting.

27 Why wilt thou say, O Jacob? And why wilt thou speak, O Israel? My way is hidden from Jehovah, And my judgment passeth away from my God.

Note 263. Or, Why wouldst thou say?

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard That Jehovah is the God of eternity, Who hath created the ends of the earth? He fainteth not, And is not worn out by fatigue; And there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint, And to him who hath no might he imparteth strength.

30 The youths are wearied, And they faint; And the young men by falling full.

31 But they who wait upon Jehovah shall gather new strength; They shall raise their wings as eagles; They shall run, And shall not be wearied; They shall walk, And shall not faint.

Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

1 Be silent to me, O islands; And let the peoples collect their strength; Let them draw near; then let them speak; Let us come near together to judgment.

2 Who raised up righteousness from the east, Called him to his foot, Gave nations before him, And subdued kings; Gave them as dust to his sword, And as driven stubble to his bow?

3 He pursued them; he departed in peace, By the way that his foot had not gone.

4 Who hath appointed And done it. He who calleth the nations from the beginning. I Jehovah am the first, And with the last I am the same.

5 The islands saw, And were afraid; The farthest boundaries of the earth trembled; They drew near And came.

6 Every one brought assistance to his neighbor, And said to his neighbor, Be courageous.

7 The carver encouraged the founder, And he that beateth with the hammer him that striketh by turns; And he said, It is good for soldering; And he fastened it with nails, that it might not be moved.

8 But thou, O Israel, (art) my servant, O Jacob, whom I have chosen, Thou seed of Abraham my friend.

9 For I have taken thee from the ends of the earth; From its eminences have I called thee; And I have said to thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, And have not cast thee off;

10 Fear not, for I am with thee; Be not terrified, for I am thy God; For I strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Note 264. Or, Surely.

11 Behold, they who provoke thee, Shall be ashamed And shall blush; They who contend with thee, Shall become as nothing, And shall perish.

12 Thou shalt seek them, And shalt not find them; They who contend with thee shall be as nothing, And they who fight with thee shall be as consumption.

13 For I (am) Jehovah thy God, Taking hold of thy right hand, And saying to thee, Fear not, I will help thee.

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, Ye dead men of Israel. I will help thee, saith Jehovah, And thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Note 265. Or, Thy Protector.

15 Behold, I have made thee a cart, Like a sharp thrashing instrument having teeth; Thou shalt thrash the mountains, And beat them small; And thou shalt reduce the hills to dust.

16 Thou shalt winnow them; And the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them. But thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah; Thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 The needy And poor shall seek waters, Which are nowhere to be seen; Their tongue shall be parched with thirst. I Jehovah will listen to them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

18 I will open rivers on lofty mountain-tops, And fountains in the midst of a plain; I will make the wilderness pools of waters, And the dry land fountains of waters.

19 In the wilderness I will give the cedar, The sloe, the myrtle, And the pine; I will set in the desert the fir-tree, The elm And poplar together.

20 Therefore let them see And know; Let them likewise think And understand; That the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And that the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21 Plead your cause, saith Jehovah; Produce your strong reasons, saith the king of Jacob.

22 Let them bring them forth, And let them tell us what is to come; Let them declare the former things which were, And we will lay our heart to them; And we shall know the latest of those things; And declare ye to us what is to come.

23 Tell what shall be hereafter, That we may know that ye are gods; Yea, do good, or do evil, That we may relate And likewise may see it.

Note 266. Or, May be astonished.

24 Behold, you are of nothing, And your work is of nothing; (The man) hath chosen abomination in you.

25 I have raised him from the north, And he hath come; From the rising of the sun shall he call on my name; And he shall come to princes, as to clay; And he shall tread the clay like a potter.

26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? Beforehand, And we will say, (He is) righteous. Surely, there is none that declareth; Surely, there is none that causeth (us) to hear; Surely, there is none that heareth your words.

27 The first to Zion; Behold, behold them; And I will give a messenger to Jerusalem.

28 I looked, And there was none; I inquired at them, And there was no counselor; I asked them, And they answered not a word.

29 Behold, all are vanity; And their works are a failure; Their images are wind And confusion.