1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 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 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 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 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 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 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth 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 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 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 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 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 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14 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 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 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
20 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 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 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 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
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.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 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 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 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 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
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.
1 Comfort H5162 ye, comfort H5162 ye my people, H5971 saith H559 your God. H430
2 Speak H1696 ye comfortably H3820 to Jerusalem, H3389 and cry H7121 unto her, that her warfare H6635 is accomplished, H4390 that her iniquity H5771 is pardoned: H7521 for she hath received H3947 of the LORD'S H3068 hand H3027 double H3718 for all her sins. H2403
3 The voice H6963 of him that crieth H7121 in the wilderness, H4057 Prepare H6437 ye the way H1870 of the LORD, H3068 make straight H3474 in the desert H6160 a highway H4546 for our God. H430
4 Every valley H1516 shall be exalted, H5375 and every mountain H2022 and hill H1389 shall be made low: H8213 and the crooked H6121 shall be made straight, H4334 and the rough places H7406 plain: H1237
5 And the glory H3519 of the LORD H3068 shall be revealed, H1540 and all flesh H1320 shall see H7200 it together: H3162 for the mouth H6310 of the LORD H3068 hath spoken H1696 it.
6 The voice H6963 said, H559 Cry. H7121 And he said, H559 What shall I cry? H7121 All flesh H1320 is grass, H2682 and all the goodliness H2617 thereof is as the flower H6731 of the field: H7704
7 The grass H2682 withereth, H3001 the flower H6731 fadeth: H5034 because the spirit H7307 of the LORD H3068 bloweth H5380 upon it: surely H403 the people H5971 is grass. H2682
8 The grass H2682 withereth, H3001 the flower H6731 fadeth: H5034 but the word H1697 of our God H430 shall stand H6965 for ever. H5769
9 O Zion, H6726 that bringest good tidings, H1319 get thee up H5927 into the high H1364 mountain; H2022 O Jerusalem, H3389 that bringest good tidings, H1319 lift up H7311 thy voice H6963 with strength; H3581 lift it up, H7311 be not afraid; H3372 say H559 unto the cities H5892 of Judah, H3063 Behold your God! H430
10 Behold, the Lord H136 GOD H3069 will come H935 with strong H2389 hand, and his arm H2220 shall rule H4910 for him: behold, his reward H7939 is with him, and his work H6468 before H6440 him.
11 He shall feed H7462 his flock H5739 like a shepherd: H7462 he shall gather H6908 the lambs H2922 with his arm, H2220 and carry H5375 them in his bosom, H2436 and shall gently lead H5095 those that are with young. H5763
12 Who hath measured H4058 the waters H4325 in the hollow of his hand, H8168 and meted out H8505 heaven H8064 with the span, H2239 and comprehended H3557 the dust H6083 of the earth H776 in a measure, H7991 and weighed H8254 the mountains H2022 in scales, H6425 and the hills H1389 in a balance? H3976
13 Who hath directed H8505 the Spirit H7307 of the LORD, H3068 or being his counsellor H376 H6098 hath taught H3045 him?
14 With whom took he counsel, H3289 and who instructed H995 him, and taught H3925 him in the path H734 of judgment, H4941 and taught H3925 him knowledge, H1847 and shewed H3045 to him the way H1870 of understanding? H8394
15 Behold, the nations H1471 are as a drop H4752 of a bucket, H1805 and are counted H2803 as the small dust H7834 of the balance: H3976 behold, he taketh up H5190 the isles H339 as a very little thing. H1851
16 And Lebanon H3844 is not H369 sufficient H1767 to burn, H1197 nor the beasts H2416 thereof sufficient H1767 for a burnt offering. H5930
17 All nations H1471 before him are as nothing; and they are counted H2803 to him less than nothing, H657 and vanity. H8414
18 To whom then will ye liken H1819 God? H410 or what likeness H1823 will ye compare H6186 unto him?
19 The workman H2796 melteth H5258 a graven image, H6459 and the goldsmith H6884 spreadeth H7554 it over with gold, H2091 and casteth H6884 silver H3701 chains. H7577
20 He that is so impoverished H5533 H5534 that he hath no oblation H8641 chooseth H977 a tree H6086 that will not rot; H7537 he seeketh H1245 unto him a cunning H2450 workman H2796 to prepare H3559 a graven image, H6459 that shall not be moved. H4131
21 Have ye not known? H3045 have ye not heard? H8085 hath it not been told H5046 you from the beginning? H7218 have ye not understood H995 from the foundations H4146 of the earth? H776
22 It is he that sitteth H3427 upon the circle H2329 of the earth, H776 and the inhabitants H3427 thereof are as grasshoppers; H2284 that stretcheth out H5186 the heavens H8064 as a curtain, H1852 and spreadeth them out H4969 as a tent H168 to dwell in: H3427
23 That bringeth H5414 the princes H7336 to nothing; he maketh H6213 the judges H8199 of the earth H776 as vanity. H8414
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; H5193 yea, they shall not be sown: H2232 yea, their stock H1503 shall not take root H8327 in the earth: H776 and he shall also blow H5398 upon them, and they shall wither, H3001 and the whirlwind H5591 shall take H5375 them away as stubble. H7179
25 To whom then will ye liken H1819 me, or shall I be equal? H7737 saith H559 the Holy One. H6918
26 Lift up H5375 your eyes H5869 on high, H4791 and behold H7200 who hath created H1254 these things, that bringeth out H3318 their host H6635 by number: H4557 he calleth H7121 them all by names H8034 by the greatness H7230 of his might, H202 for that he is strong H533 in power; H3581 not one H376 faileth. H5737
27 Why sayest H559 thou, O Jacob, H3290 and speakest, H1696 O Israel, H3478 My way H1870 is hid H5641 from the LORD, H3068 and my judgment H4941 is passed over H5674 from my God? H430
28 Hast thou not known? H3045 hast thou not heard, H8085 that the everlasting H5769 God, H430 the LORD, H3068 the Creator H1254 of the ends H7098 of the earth, H776 fainteth H3286 not, neither is weary? H3021 there is no searching H2714 of his understanding. H8394
29 He giveth H5414 power H3581 to the faint; H3287 and to them that have no might H202 he increaseth H7235 strength. H6109
30 Even the youths H5288 shall faint H3286 and be weary, H3021 and the young men H970 shall utterly H3782 fall: H3782
31 But they that wait H6960 upon the LORD H3068 shall renew H2498 their strength; H3581 they shall mount up H5927 with wings H83 as eagles; H5404 they shall run, H7323 and not be weary; H3021 and they shall walk, H3212 and not faint. H3286
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:
5 and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
6 The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.
9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!
10 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, `and' will gently lead those that have their young.
12 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 Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19 The image, a workman hath cast `it', and the goldsmith overlayeth it with gold, and casteth `for it' silver chains.
20 He that is too impoverished for `such' an oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilful workman to set up a graven image, that shall not be moved.
21 Have ye not known? have yet not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 `It is' he that sitteth above 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 that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they have not been planted; yea, they have not been sown; yea, their stock hath not taken root in the earth: moreover he bloweth upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal `to him'? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice `due' to me is passed away from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 but they that wait for Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.
2 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 A voice is crying -- in a wilderness -- Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.
4 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 And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen `it' have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.
6 A voice is saying, `Call,' And he said, `What do I call?' All flesh `is' grass, and all its goodliness `is' As a flower of the field:
7 Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people `is' grass;
8 Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever.
9 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 Lo, the Lord Jehovah with strength cometh, And His arm is ruling for Him, Lo, His hire `is' with Him, and His wage before Him.
11 As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth `them': Suckling ones He leadeth.
12 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 Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, `being' His counsellor, doth teach Him!
14 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 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 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.
17 All the nations `are' as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.
18 And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?
19 The graven image poured out hath a artizan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.
20 He who is poor `by' heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artizan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image -- not moved.
21 Do ye not know -- do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood `From' the foundations of the earth?
22 He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants `are' as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.
23 He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;
24 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 And unto whom do ye liken Me, And `am' I equal? saith the Holy One.
26 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 `he is' strong in power) not one is lacking.
27 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 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 He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might.
30 Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,
31 But those expecting Jehovah pass `to' power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!
1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her time of suffering is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for our God!
4 Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.
6 A voice saith, Cry. And he saith, What shall I cry? -- All flesh is grass, and all the comeliness thereof as the flower of the field.
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, for the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God abideth for ever.
9 O Zion, that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into a high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with might, and his arm shall rule for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompence before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom; he will gently lead those that give suck.
12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the heavens with [his] span, and grasped the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in scales?
13 Who hath directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and, [as] his counsellor, hath taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and [who] gave him intelligence, and instructed him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are esteemed as a drop of the bucket, and as the fine dust on the scales; behold, he taketh up the isles as an atom.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him; they are esteemed by him less than a cipher, and vanity.
18 To whom then will ye liken ùGod? and what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19 The workman casteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains [for it].
20 He that is impoverished, so that he hath no offering, chooseth a tree that doth not rot; he seeketh unto him a skilled 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 understood the foundation of the earth?
22 [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 gauze curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;
23 that bringeth the princes to nothing, that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely hath their stock taken root in the earth, but he also bloweth upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see! Who hath created these things, bringing out their host by number? He calleth them all by name; through the greatness of his might and strength of power, not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and my right is passed away from my God?
28 Dost thou not know, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not nor tireth? There is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and shall tire, and the young men shall stumble and fall;
31 but they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew [their] strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not tire; they shall walk, and not faint.
1 Comfort you, comfort you my people, says your God.
2 Speak comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of Yahweh's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of one who cries, Prepare you in the wilderness the way of Yahweh; make level in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:
5 and the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
6 The voice of one saying, Cry. One said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the glory of it is as the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of Yahweh blows on it; surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God shall stand forever.
9 You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain; you who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, don't be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold, your God!
10 Behold, the Lord Yahweh will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, [and] will gently lead those who have their young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out the sky 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 Who has directed the Spirit of Yahweh, or being his counselor has taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and shown to him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: Behold, he takes up the isles as a very little thing.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the animals of it sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity.
18 To whom then will you liken God? or what likeness will you compare to him?
19 The image, a workman has cast [it], and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts [for it] silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for [such] an offering chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks to him a skillful workman to set up an engraved image, that shall not be moved.
21 Have you not known? have yet not heard? has it not been told you from the beginning? have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 [It is] he who sits above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants of it are as grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing; who makes the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yes, they have not been planted; yes, they have not been sown; yes, their stock has not taken root in the earth: moreover he blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will you liken me, that I should be equal [to him]? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these, who brings out their host by number; he calls them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
27 Why say you, Jacob, and speak, Israel, My way is hid from Yahweh, and the justice [due] to me is passed away from my God?
28 Have you not known? have you not heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't faint, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the faint; and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 but those who wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.
1 Give comfort, give comfort, to my people, says your God.
2 Say kind words to the heart of Jerusalem, crying out to her that her time of trouble is ended, that her punishment is complete; that she has been rewarded by the Lord's hand twice over for all her sins.
3 A voice of one crying, Make ready in the waste land the way of the Lord, make level in the lowland a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough places become level, and the hilltops become a valley,
5 And the glory of the Lord will be made clear, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has said it.
6 A voice of one saying, Give a cry! And I said, What is my cry to be? All flesh is grass, and all its strength like the flower of the field.
7 The grass becomes dry, the flower is dead; because the breath of the Lord goes over it: truly the people is grass.
8 The grass is dry, the flower is dead; but the word of our God is eternal.
9 You who give good news to Zion, get up into the high mountain; you who give good news to Jerusalem, let your voice be strong; let it be sounding without fear; say to the towns of Judah, See, your God!
10 See, the Lord God will come as a strong one, ruling in power: see, those made free by him are with him, and those whom he has made safe go before him.
11 He will give food to his flock like a keeper of sheep; with his arm he will get it together, and will take up the lambs on his breast, gently guiding those which are with young.
12 In the hollow of whose hand have the waters been measured? and who is able to take the heavens in his stretched-out fingers? who has got together the dust of the earth in a measure? who has taken the weight of the mountains, or put the hills into the scales?
13 By whom has the spirit of the Lord been guided, or who has been his teacher?
14 Who gave him suggestions, and made clear to him the right way? who gave him knowledge, guiding him in the way of wisdom?
15 See, the nations are to him like a drop hanging from a bucket, and like the small dust in the scales: he takes up the islands like small dust.
16 And Lebanon is not enough to make a fire with, or all its cattle enough for a burned offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him; even less than nothing, a thing of no value.
18 Whom then is God like, in your opinion? or what will you put forward as a comparison with him?
19 The workman makes an image, and the gold-worker puts gold plates over it, and makes silver bands for it.
20 The wise workman makes selection of the mulberry-tree of the offering, a wood which will not become soft; so that the image may be fixed to it and not be moved.
21 Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? has not news of it been given to you from the first? has it not been clear to you from the time when the earth was placed on its base?
22 It is he who is seated over the arch of the earth, and the people in it are as small as locusts; by him the heavens are stretched out like an arch, and made ready like a tent for a living-place.
23 He makes rulers come to nothing; the judges of the earth are of no value.
24 They have only now been planted, and their seed put into the earth, and they have only now taken root, when he sends out his breath over them and they become dry, and the storm-wind takes them away like dry grass.
25 Who then seems to you to be my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Let your eyes be lifted up on high, and see: who has made these? He who sends out their numbered army: who has knowledge of all their names: by whose great strength, because he is strong in power, all of them are in their places.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, such words as these, O Israel, The Lord's eyes are not on my way, and my God gives no attention to my cause?
28 Have you no knowledge of it? has it not come to your ears? The eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom.
29 He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.
30 Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength;
31 But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 40
Commentary on Isaiah 40 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Second Half of the Collection - Isaiah 40-66
The first half consisted of seven parts; the second consists of three. The trilogical arrangement of this cycle of prophecies has hardly been disputed by any one, since Rckert pointed it out in his Translation of the Hebrew Prophets (1831). And it is equally certain that each part consists of 3 x 3 addresses. The division of the chapters furnishes an unintentional proof of this, though the true commencement is not always indicated. The first part embraces the following nine addresses: chapters 40; 41, Isaiah 42:1-43:13; 43:14-44:5; 44:6-23; 44:24-45:25; Isaiah 46:1-13; Isaiah 47:1-15; 48. The second part includes the following nine: chapters 49; Isaiah 50:1-11; 51; Isaiah 52:1-12; 52:13-53:12; 54; Isaiah 55:1-13; Isaiah 56:1-8; 56:9-57:21. The third part the following nine: Isaiah 58:1-14; 59; 60; Isaiah 61:1-11; Isaiah 62:1-12; Isaiah 63:1-6; 63:7-64:12; 65; 66. It is only in the middle of the first part that the division is at all questionable. In the other two it is hardly possible to err. The theme of the whole is the comforting announcement of the approaching deliverance, and its attendant summons to repentance. For the deliverance itself was for the Israel, which remained true to the confession of Jehovah in the midst of affliction and while redemption was delayed, and not for the rebellious, who denied Jehovah in word and deed, and thus placed themselves on the level of the heathen. “There is no peace, saith Jehovah, for the wicked:” with these words does the first part of the twenty-seven addresses close in Isaiah 48:22. The second closes in Isaiah 57:21 in a more excited and fuller tone: “There is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked.” And at the close of the third part (Isaiah 66:24) the prophet drops this form of refrain, and declares the miserable end of the wicked in deeply pathetic though horrifying terms: “Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh;” just as, at the close of the fifth book of the Psalms, the shorter form of b e râkhâh (blessing) is dropt, and an entire psalm, the Hallelujah (Ps), takes its place.
The three parts, which are thus marked off by the prophet himself, are only variations of the one theme common to them all. At the same time, each has its own leading thought, and its own special key-note, which is struck in the very first words. In each of the three parts, also, a different antithesis stands in the foreground: viz., in the first part, chapters 40-48, the contrast between Jehovah and the idols, and between Israel and the heathen; in the second part, chapters 49-57, the contrast between the present suffering of the Servant of Jehovah and His future glory; in the third part, chapters 58-66, the contrast observable in the heart of Israel itself, between the hypocrites, the depraved, the rebellious, on the one side, and the faithful, the mourning, the persecuted, on the other. The first part sets forth the deliverance from Babylon, in which the prophecy of Jehovah is fulfilled, to the shame ad overthrow of the idols and their worshippers; the second part, the way of the Servant of Jehovah through deep humiliation to exaltation and glory, which is at the same time the exaltation of Israel to the height of its world-wide calling; the third part, the indispensable conditions of participation in the future redemption and glory. There is some truth in Hahn's opinion, that the distinctive characteristics of the three separate parts are exhibited in the three clauses of Isaiah 40:2 : “that her distress is ended, that her debt is paid, that she has received (according to his explanation, 'will receive' ) double for all her sins.” For the central point of the first part is really the termination of the Babylonian distress; that of the second, the expiation of guilt by the self-sacrifice of the Servant of Jehovah; and that of the third, the assurance that the sufferings will be followed by “a far more exceeding weight of glory.” The promise rises higher and higher in the circular movements of the 3 x 9 addresses, until at length it reaches its zenith in chapters 65 and 66, and links time and eternity together.
So far as the language is concerned, there is nothing more finished or more elevated in the whole of the Old Testament than this trilogy of addresses by Isaiah. In chapters 1-39 of the collection, the prophet's language is generally more compressed, chiselled ( lapidarisch ), plastic, although even there his style passes through all varieties of colour. But here in chapters 40-66, where he no longer has his foot upon the soil of his own time, but is transported into the far distant future, as into his own home, even the language retains an ideal and, so to speak, ethereal character. It has grown into a broad, pellucid, shining stream, which floats us over as it were into the world beyond, upon majestic yet gentle and translucent waves. There are only two passages in which it becomes more harsh, turbid, and ponderous, viz., Isaiah 53:1-12 and Isaiah 56:9-57:11 a . In the former it is the emotion of sorrow which throws its shadow upon it; in the latter, the emotion of wrath. And in every other instance in which it changes, we may detect at once the influence of the object and of the emotion. In Isaiah 63:7 the prophet strikes the note of the liturgical t e phillâh ; in Isaiah 63:19 b -64:4 it is sadness which chokes the stream of words; in Isaiah 64:5 you year, as in Jeremiah 3:25, the key-note of the liturgical vidduy , or confessional prayer.
And when we turn to the contents of his trilogy, it is more incomparable still. It commences with a prophecy, which gave to John the Baptist the great theme of his preaching. It closes with the prediction of the creation of a new heaven and new earth, beyond which even the last page of the New Testament Apocalypse cannot go. And in the centre (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) the sufferings and exaltation of Christ are proclaimed as clearly, as if the prophet had stood beneath the cross itself, and had seen the Risen Saviour. He is transported to the very commencement of the New Testament times, and begins just like the New Testament evangelists. He afterwards describes the death and resurrection of Christ as completed events, with all the clearness of a Pauline discourse. And lastly, he clings to the heavenly world beyond, like John in the Apocalypse. Yet the Old Testament limits are not disturbed; but within those limits, evangelist, apostle, and apocalyptist are all condensed into one. Throughout the whole of these addresses we never meet with a strictly Messianic prophecy; and yet they have more christological depth than all the Messianic prophecies taken together. The bright picture of the coming King, which is met with in the earlier Messianic prophecies, undergoes a metamorphosis here, out of which it issues enriched by many essential elements, viz., those of the two status , the mors vicaria , and the munus triplex . The dark typical background of suffering, which the mournful Davidic psalms give to the figure of the Messiah, becomes here for the first time an object of direct prediction. The place of the Son of David, who is only a King, is now take by the Servant of Jehovah, who is Prophet and Priest by virtue of His self-sacrifice, and King as well; the Saviour of Israel and of the Gentiles, persecuted even to death by His own nation, but exalted by God to be both Priest and King. So rich and profound a legacy did Isaiah leave to the church of the captivity, and to the church of the future also, yea, even to the New Jerusalem upon the new earth. Hengstenberg has very properly compared these prophecies of Isaiah to the Deuteronomic “last words” of Moses in the steppes of Moab, and to the last words of the Lord Jesus, within the circle of His own disciples, as reported by John. It is a thoroughly esoteric book, left to the church for future interpretation. To none of the Old Testament prophets who followed him was the ability given perfectly to open the book. Nothing but the coming of the Servant of Jehovah in the person of Jesus Christ could break all the seven seals. But was Isaiah really the author of this book of consolation? Modern criticism visits all who dare to assert this with the double ban of want of science and want of conscience. It regards Isaiah's authorship as being quite as impossible as any miracle in the sphere of nature, of history, or of the spirit. No prophecies find any favour in its eyes, but such as can be naturally explained. It knows exactly how far a prophet can see, and where he must stand, in order to see so far. But we are not tempted at all to purchase such omniscience at the price of the supernatural. We believe in the supernatural reality of prophecy, simply because history furnishes indisputable proofs of it, and because a supernatural interposition on the part of God in both the inner and outer life of man takes place even at the present day, and can be readily put to the test. But this interposition varies greatly both in degree and kind; and even in the far-sight of the prophets there were the greatest diversities, according to the measure of their charisma. It is quite possible, therefore, that Isaiah may have foreseen the calamities of the Babylonian age and the deliverance that followed “by an excellent spirit,” as the son of Sirach says (Ecclus. 48:24), and may have lived and moved in these “last things,” even at a time when the Assyrian empire was still standing. But we do not regard all that is possible as being therefore real. We can examine quite impartially whether this really was the case, and without our ultimate decision being under the constraint of any unalterable foregone conclusion, like that of the critics referred to. All that we have said in praise of chapters 40-66 would retain its fullest force, even if the author of the whole should prove to be a prophet of the captivity, and not Isaiah.
We have already given a cursory glance at the general and particular grounds upon which we maintain the probability, or rather the certainty, that Isaiah was the author of chapters 40-66; and we have explained them more fully in the concluding remarks to Drechsler's Commentary (vol. iii. pp. 361-416), to which we would refer any readers who wish to obtain a complete insight into the pro and con of this critical question. All false supports of Isaiah's authorship have there been willingly given up; for the words of Job to his friends (Job 13:7-8) are quite as applicable to a biblical theologian of the present day.
We have admitted, that throughout the whole of the twenty-seven prophecies, the author of chapters 40-66 has the captivity as his fixed standpoint, or at any rate as a standpoint that is only so far a fluctuating one, as the eventual deliverance approaches nearer and nearer, and that without ever betraying the difference between the real present and this ideal one; so that as the prophetic vision of the future has its roots in every other instance in the soil of the prophet's own time, and springs out of that soil, to all appearance he is an exile himself. But notwithstanding this, the following arguments may be adduced in support of Isaiah's authorship. In the first place, the deliverance foretold in these prophecies, with all its attendant circumstances, is referred to as something beyond the reach of human foresight, and known to Jehovah alone, and as something the occurrence of which would prove Him to be the God of Gods. Jehovah, the God of the prophecy, new the name of Cyrus even before he knew it himself; and He demonstrated His Godhead to all the world, inasmuch as He caused the name and work of the deliverer of Israel to be foretold (Isaiah 45:4-7). Secondly , although these prophecies rest throughout upon the soil of the captivity, and do not start with the historical basis of Hezekiah's time, as we should expect them to do, with Isaiah as their author; yet the discrepancy between this phenomenon and the general character of prophecy elsewhere, loses its full force as an argument against Isaiah's authorship, if we do not separate chapters 40-66 from chapters 1-39 and take it as an independent work, as is generally done. The whole of the first half of the collection is a staircase, leading up to these addresses to the exiles, and bears the same relation to them, as a whole, as the Assyrian pedestal in Isaiah 14:24-27 to the Babylonian m assâ in Isaiah 13-14:26. This relation between the two - namely, that Assyrian prophecies lay the foundation for Babylonian - runs through the whole of the first half. It is so arranged, that the prophecies of the Assyrian times throughout have intermediate layers, which reach beyond those times; and whilst the former constitute the groundwork, the latter form the gable. This is the relation in which chapters 24-27 stand to chapters 13-23, and chapters 34-35 to chapters 28-33. And within the cycle of prophecies against the nations, three Babylonian prophecies - viz. Isaiah 13-14:23; Isaiah 21:1-10, and 23 - form the commencement, middle, and end. The Assyrian prophecies lie within a circle, the circumference and diameter of which consist of prophecies that have a longer span. And are all these prophecies, that are inserted with such evident skill and design, to be taken away from our prophet? The oracle concerning Babel, in Isaiah 13-14:23, has all the ring of a prophecy of Isaiah's, as we have already seen; and in the epilogue, in Isaiah 14:24-27, it has Isaiah's signature. The second oracle concerning Babel, in Isaiah 21:1-10, is not only connected with three passages of Isaiah's that are acknowledged as genuine, so as to form a tetralogy; but in style and spirit it is most intimately bound up with them. The cycle of prophecies of the final catastrophe (chapters 24-27) commences so thoroughly in Isaiah's style, that nearly every word and every turn in the first three vv. bears Isaiah's stamp; and in Isaiah 27:12-13, it dies away, just like the book of Immanuel, Isaiah 11:11. And the genuineness of chapters 34 and Isaiah 35:1-10 has never yet been disputed on any valid grounds. Knobel, indeed, maintains that the historical background of this passage establishes its spuriousness; but it is impossible to detect any background of contemporaneous history. Edom in this instance represents the world, as opposed to the people of God, just as Moab does in Isaiah 25:1-12. Consider, moreover, that these disputed prophecies form a series which constitutes in every respect a prelude to chapters 40-66. Have we not in Isaiah 13:1-2, the substance of chapters 40-66, as it were, in nuce ? Is not the trilogy “Babel,” in chapters 46-48, like an expansion of the vision in Isaiah 21:1-10? Is not the prophecy concerning Edom in chapter 34 the side-piece to Isaiah 63:1-6? And do we not hear in Isaiah 35:1-10 the direct prelude to the melody, which is continued in chapters 40-66? And to this we may add still further the fact, that prominent marks of Isaiah are common alike to the disputed prophecies, and to those whose genuineness is acknowledged. The name of God, which is so characteristic of Isaiah, and which we meet with on every hand in acknowledged prophecies in chapters 1-39, viz., “the Holy One of Israel,” runs also through chapters 40-66. And so again do the confirmatory words, “Thus saith Jehovah,” and the interchange of the national names Jacob and Israel (compare, for example, Isaiah 40:27 with Isaiah 29:23).
(Note: The remark which we made at p. 77, to the effect that Isaiah prefers Israel, is therefore to be qualified, inasmuch as in ch. 40-66 Jacob takes precedence of Israel.)
The rhetorical figure called epnanaphora, which may be illustrated by an Arabic proverb -
(Note: See Mehren, Rhetorik der Araber , p. 161ff.)
“Enjoy the scent of the yellow roses of Negd;
For when the evening if gone, it is over with the yellow roses,” -