The LORD's Comforting Words to Zion

401 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.

Israel's Incomparable God

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!

The LORD's Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

31 For, lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is turning aside from Jerusalem, And from Judah, stay and staff, Every stay of bread, and every stay of water. 2 Hero and man of war, judge and prophet, And diviner and elder, 3 Head of fifty, and accepted of faces, And counsellor, and the wise of artificers, And the intelligent of charmers. 4 And I have made youths their heads, And sucklings rule over them. 5 And the people hath exacted—man upon man, Even a man on his neighbour, Enlarge themselves do the youths against the aged, And the lightly esteemed against the honoured. 6 When one layeth hold on his brother, 'Of' the house of his father, 'by' the garment, 'Come, a ruler thou art to us, And this ruin 'is' under thy hand.' 7 He lifteth up, in that day, saying: 'I am not a binder up, And in my house is neither bread nor garment, Ye do not make me a ruler of the people.' 8 For stumbled hath Jerusalem, and Judah hath fallen, For their tongue and their doings 'are' against Jehovah, To provoke the eyes of His glory.

9 The appearance of their faces witnessed against them, And their sin, as Sodom, they declared, They have not hidden! Wo to their soul, For they have done to themselves evil. 10 Say ye to the righteous, that 'it is' good, Because the fruit of their doings they eat. 11 Wo to the wicked—evil, Because the deed of his hand is done to him. 12 My people—its exactors 'are' sucklings, And women have ruled over it. My people—thy eulogists are causing to err, And the way of thy paths swallowed up. 13 Jehovah hath stood up to plead, And He is standing to judge the peoples. 14 Jehovah into judgment doth enter With elders of His people, and its heads: 'And ye, ye have consumed the vineyard, Plunder of the poor 'is' in your houses. 15 What—to you? ye bruise My people, And the faces of the poor ye grind.' An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, And Jehovah saith:

Judgment on the Daughters of Zion

16 'Because that daughters of Zion have been haughty, And they walk stretching out the neck, And deceiving 'with' the eyes, Walking and mincing they go, And with their feet they make a tinkling, 17 The Lord also hath scabbed The crown of the head of daughters of Zion, And Jehovah their simplicity exposeth. 18 In that day doth the Lord turn aside The beauty of the tinkling ornaments, And of the embroidered works, And of the round tires like moons, 19 Of the drops, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 Of the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, And of the bands, And of the perfume boxes, and the amulets, 21 Of the seals, and of the nose-rings, 22 Of the costly apparel, and of the mantles, And of the coverings, and of the purses, 23 Of the mirrors, and of the linen garments, And of the hoods, and of the vails, 24 And it hath been, instead of spice is muck, And instead of a girdle, a rope, And instead of curled work, baldness, And instead of a stomacher a girdle of sackcloth. 25 For instead of glory, thy men by sword do fall, And thy might in battle. 26 And lamented and mourned have her openings, Yea, she hath been emptied, on the earth she sitteth!