1 ¶ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.

2 S peak ye according to the heart of Jerusalem and cry unto her that her time is now fulfilled 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 hath been completed, That accepted hath been her punishment, That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins.

3 ¶ The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

A voice is crying -- in a wilderness -- Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.

4 E very valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places made plain:

Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place hath become a plain, And the entangled places a valley.

5 A nd the glory of the LORD shall be manifested, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.

And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.

6 T he voice that said, Cry. And I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the mercy thereof is as the open flower of the field:

A voice is saying, `Call,' And he said, `What do I call?' All flesh grass, and all its goodliness As a flower of the field:

7 T he grass withers, the flower fades because the spirit of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people is grass.

Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people grass;

8 T he grass withers, the open flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever.

9 ¶ O Zion, that brings good tidings, go up into the high mountain; lift up thy voice with strength O bearer of good tidings of Jerusalem; lift it up, do not be afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

On a high mountain get thee up, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up with power thy voice, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, fear not, say to cities of Judah, `Lo, your God.'

10 B ehold, the Lord GOD will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Lo, the Lord Jehovah with strength cometh, And His arm is ruling for Him, Lo, His hire with Him, and His wage before Him.

11 H e 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.

As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth: Suckling ones He leadeth.

12 ¶ Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and prepared the heavens with his palm and with three fingers measured the dust of the earth and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills with weights?

Who hath measured in the hollow of his hand the waters? And the heavens by a span hath meted out, And comprehended in a measure the dust of the earth, And hath weighed in scales the mountains, And the hills in a balance?

13 W ho has directed the Spirit of the LORD or being his counsellor has taught him?

Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, His counsellor, doth teach Him!

14 W ith whom took he counsel, and who instructed him? Who taught him in the path of judgment and taught him knowledge and showed unto him the way of intelligence?

With whom consulted He, That he causeth Him to understand? And teacheth Him in the path of judgment, And teacheth Him knowledge? And the way of understanding causeth Him to know?

15 B ehold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he causes the isles to disappear as dust.

Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

16 A nd all Lebanon is not sufficient for the fire, nor all the beasts thereof sufficient for the sacrifice.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

17 A ll the Gentiles are as nothing before him, and they are counted to him as vanity and as less than nothing.

All the nations as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

18 ¶ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

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

19 T he workman prepares the graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold and casts silver chains.

The graven image poured out hath a artizan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.

20 H e that is so impoverished that he has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto himself a cunning workman to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved.

He who is poor heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artizan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image -- not moved.

21 H ave ye not known? Have ye not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not been taught since the land was founded?

Do ye not know -- do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood the foundations of the earth?

22 H e is seated upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; he 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 as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.

23 H e brings the powerful to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as if they had never been,

He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

24 A s if they had never been planted, as if they had never been sown, as if their stock had never taken root in the earth; even blowing upon them, they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.

Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away.

25 T o whom then will ye liken me, or what shall ye compare me to? saith the Holy One.

And unto whom do ye liken Me, And I equal? saith the Holy One.

26 L ift up your eyes on high and behold who has created these things; he brings out his host by number; he calls them all by their names; none shall be lacking by the greatness of his might and by the strength of his power.

Lift up on high your eyes, And see -- who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And strong in power) not one is lacking.

27 ¶ Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest thou, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Why sayest thou, O Jacob? and speakest thou, O Israel? `My way hath been hid from Jehovah, And from my God my judgment passeth over.'

28 H ast thou not known? Hast thou not heard that the God of the age is the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He does not faint, nor is he weary; and there is no one that can attain to his intelligence.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age -- Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.

29 H e gives power to the faint; and to those that have no might he increases strength.

He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might.

30 T he young men faint and are weary; the children stumble and fall;

Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

31 b ut those that wait for the LORD shall have new 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 Jehovah pass power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!