¹

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith God.

¹

ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΕΙΤΕ παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει ὁ Θεός.

²

Speak, ye priests, to the heart of Jerusalem; comfort her, for her humiliation is accomplished, her sin is put away: for she has received of the Lord's hand double the amount of her sins.

²

ἱερεῖς, λαλήσατε εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ῾Ιερουσαλήμ, παρακαλέσατε αὐτήν· ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ ταπείνωσις αὐτῆς, λέλυται αὐτῆς ἡ ἁμαρτία· ὅτι ἐδέξατο ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου διπλᾶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῆς.

³

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.

³

φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου. εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.

⁴

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plains.

⁴

πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται, καὶ ἔσται πάντα τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν καὶ ἡ τραχεῖα εἰς ὁδοὺς λείας·

⁵

And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God: for the Lord has spoken it.

⁵

καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα Κυρίου, καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σάρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε.

⁶

The voice of one saying, Cry; and I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.

⁶

φωνὴ λέγοντος· βόησον· καὶ εἶπα· τί βοήσω; πᾶσα σάρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου·

⁷

The grass withers, and the flower fades:

⁷

ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσε,

⁸

but the word of our God abides for ever.

⁸

τὸ δὲ ρῆμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

⁹

O thou that bringest glad tidings to Zion, go up on the high mountain; lift up thy voice with strength, thou that bringest glad tidings to Jerusalem; lift it up, fear not; say unto the cities of Juda, Behold your God!

⁹

ἐπ᾿ ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι, ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιών· ὕψωσον ἐν ἰσχύϊ τὴν φωνή σου, ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος ῾Ιερουσαλήμ· ὑψώσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· εἰπὸν ταῖς πόλεσιν ᾿Ιούδα· ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν.

¹⁰

Behold the Lord! The Lord is coming with strength, and his arm is with power: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

¹⁰

ἰδοὺ Κύριος Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται καὶ ὁ βραχίων μετὰ κυρίας· ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ.

¹¹

He shall tend his flock as a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and shall soothe them that are with young.

¹¹

ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ συνάξει ἄρνας καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας παρακαλέσει.

¹²

Who has measured the water in his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth in a handful? Who has weighed the mountains in scales, and the forests in a balance?

¹²

Τί ἐμέτρησε τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακί; τίς ἔστησε τὰ ὄρη σταθμῷ καὶ τὰς νάπας ζυγῷ;

¹³

Who has known the mind of the Lord? and who has been his counsellor, to instruct him?

¹³

τίς ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο, ὃς συμβιβᾷ αὐτόν;

¹⁴

Or with whom has he taken counsel, and he has instructed him? or who has taught him judgment, or who has taught him the way of understanding;

¹⁴

ἢ πρὸς τίνα συνεβουλεύσατο καὶ συνεβίβασεν αὐτόν; ἢ τίς ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ κρίσιν; ἢ ὁδὸν συνέσεως τίς ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ;

¹⁵

since all the nations are counted as a drop from a bucket, and as the turning of a balance, and shall be counted as spittle?

¹⁵

εἰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου καὶ ὡς ροπὴ ζυγοῦ ἐλογίσθησαν καὶ ὡς σίελος λογισθήσονται·

¹⁶

And Libanus is not enough to burn, nor all beasts enough for a whole-burnt offering:

¹⁶

ὁ δὲ Λίβανος οὐχ ἱκανὸς εἰς καῦσιν, καὶ πάντα τὰ τετράποδα οὐχ ἱκανὰ εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν,

¹⁷

and all the nations are as nothing, and counted as nothing.

¹⁷

καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς οὐδέν εἰσι καὶ εἰς οὐθὲν ἐλογίσθησαν.

¹⁸

To whom have ye compared the Lord? and with what likeness have ye compared him?

¹⁸

τίνι ὡμοιώσατε Κύριον καὶ τίνι ὁμοιώματι ὡμοιώσατε αὐτόν;

¹⁹

Has not the artificer made an image, or the goldsmith having melted gold, gilt it over, and made it a similitude?

¹⁹

μὴ εἰκόνα ἐποίησε τέκτων, ἢ χρυσοχόος χωνεύσας χρυσίον περιεχρύσωσεν αὐτόν, ὁμοίωμα κατεσκεύασεν αὐτόν;

²⁰

For the artificer chooses out a wood that will not rot, and will wisely enquire how he shall set up his image, and that so that it should not be moved.

²⁰

ξύλον γὰρ ἄσηπτον ἐκλέγεται τέκτων καὶ σοφῶς ζητεῖ πῶς στήσει εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἵνα μὴ σαλεύητε.

²¹

Will ye not know? will ye not hear? has it not been told you of old? Have ye not known the foundations of the earth?

²¹

οὐ γνώσεσθε; οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε; οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑμῖν; οὐκ ἔγνωτε τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς;

²²

It is he that comprehends the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants in it are as grasshoppers; he that set up the heaven as a chamber, and stretched it out as a tent to dwell in:

²²

ὁ κατέχων τὸν γῦρον τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ἀκρίδες, ὁ στήσας ὡς καμάραν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ διατείνας ὡς σκηνὴν κατοικεῖν,

²³

he that appoints princes to rule as nothing, and has made the earth as nothing.

²³

ὁ διδοὺς ἄρχοντας ὡς οὐδὲν ἄρχειν, τὴν δὲ γῆν ὡς οὐδὲν ἐποίησεν.

²⁴

For they shall not plant, neither shall they sow, neither shall their root be fixed in the ground: he has blown upon them, and they are withered, and a storm shall carry them away like sticks.

²⁴

οὐ γὰρ μὴ φυτεύσωσιν, οὐδὲ μὴ σπείρωσιν, οὐδὲ μὴ ριζωθῇ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἡ ρίζα αὐτῶν· ἔπνευσεν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξηράνθησαν, καὶ καταιγὶς ὡς φρύγανα λήψεται αὐτούς.

²⁵

Now then to whom have ye compared me, that I may be exalted? saith the Holy One.

²⁵

νῦν οὖν τίνι με ὡμοιώσατε καὶ ὑψωθήσομαι; εἶπεν ὁ ἅγιος.

²⁶

Lift up your eyes on high, and see, who has displayed all these things? even he that brings forth his host by number: he shall call them all by name by means of his great glory, and by the power of his might: nothing has escaped thee.

²⁶

ἀναβλέψατε εἰς ὕψος τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἴδετε, τίς κατέδειξε ταῦτα πάντα; ὁ ἐκφέρων κατ᾿ ἀριθμὸν τὸν κόσμον αὐτοῦ πάντας ἐπ᾿ ὀνόματι καλέσει· ἀπὸ πολλῆς δόξης καὶ ἐν κράτει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ οὐδέν σε ἔλαθε.

²⁷

For say not thou, O Jacob, and why hast thou spoken, Israel, saying, My way is hid from God, and my God has taken away my judgment, and has departed?

²⁷

Μὴ γὰρ εἶπῃς, ᾿Ιακώβ, καὶ τί ἐλάλησας, ᾿Ισραήλ· ἀπεκρύβη ἡ ὁδός μου ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ Θεός μου τὴν κρίσιν ἀφεῖλε καὶ ἀπέστη;

²⁸

And now, hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? the eternal God, the God that formed the ends of the earth, shall not hunger, nor be weary, and there is no searching of his understanding.

²⁸

καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔγνως εἰ μὴ ἤκουσας; Θεὸς αἰώνιος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ κατασκευάσας τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς, οὐ πεινάσει, οὐδὲ κοπιάσει, οὐδέ ἐστιν ἐξεύρεσις τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτοῦ·

²⁹

He gives strength to the hungry, and sorrow to them that are not suffering.

²⁹

διδοὺς τοῖς πεινῶσιν ἰσχὺν καὶ τοῖς μὴ ὀδυνωμένοις λύπην.

³⁰

For the young men shall hunger, and the youths shall be weary, and the choice men shall be powerless:

³⁰

πεινάσουσι γὰρ νεώτεροι, καὶ κοπιάσουσι νεανίσκοι, καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ ἀνίσχυες ἔσονται·

³¹

but they that wait on God shall renew their strength; they shall put forth new feathers like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not hunger.

³¹

οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὸν Θεὸν ἀλλάξουσιν ἰσχύν, πτεροφυήσουιν ὡς ἀετοί, δραμοῦνται καὶ οὐ κοπιάσουσι, βαδιοῦνται καὶ οὐ πεινάσουσιν.