1 C omfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.

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

2 S peak 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.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord 's hand double for all her sins.

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

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 E very 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.

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:

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

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

6 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:

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:

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

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

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

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

9 O n 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.'

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

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

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.

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

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.

12 W ho 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?

Who hath 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?

13 W ho hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, His counsellor, doth teach Him!

Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

14 W ith 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?

With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

15 L o, 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.

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

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

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

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

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

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

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

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

The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20 H e 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.

He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 D o 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?

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 H e 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.

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 H e who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24 Y ea, 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.

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.

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

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

26 L ift 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.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

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

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

28 H ast 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.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

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

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 E ven youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 B ut 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!

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.