1 Troos, troos my volk, sê julle God.
2 Spreek na die hart van Jerusalem, en roep haar toe dat haar stryd verby is, dat haar skuld betaal is, dat sy uit die hand van die HERE dubbel ontvang het vir al haar sondes.
3 'n Stem van een wat roep: Berei in die woestyn die weg van die HERE; maak gelyk in die wildernis 'n grootpad vir onse God!
4 Elke dal moet opgevul en elke berg en heuwel klein gemaak word; en die bult moet 'n gelykte en die rotsagtige plekke 'n laagte word.
5 En die heerlikheid van die HERE sal geopenbaar word, en alle vlees tesame sal dit sien: want die mond van die HERE het dit gespreek.
6 'n Stem sê: Roep! En hy vra: Wat moet ek roep? Alle vlees is gras, en al sy aanvalligheid soos 'n blom van die veld.
7 Die gras verdor, die blom verwelk as die asem van die HERE daarin blaas. Voorwaar, die volk is gras!
8 Die gras verdor, die blom verwelk; maar die woord van onse God hou stand in ewigheid.
9 o Sion, verkondiger van goeie boodskap, klim op 'n hoë berg! o Jerusalem, verkondiger van goeie boodskap, hef jou stem op met mag; hef dit op, wees nie bevrees nie! Sê aan die stede van Juda: Hier is julle God!
10 Kyk, die Here HERE sal kom as 'n Sterke, en sy arm sal heers; kyk, sy loon is by Hom, en sy beloning is voor sy aangesig.
11 Hy sal sy kudde laat wei soos 'n herder; Hy sal die lammers in sy arm vergader en aan sy bors dra; die lammerooie sal Hy saggies lei.
12 Wie het die waters met die holte van sy hand afgemeet, en van die hemele met 'n span die maat geneem, en in 'n drieling die stof van die aarde opgevang, en die berge geweeg met 'n weegtoestel en die heuwels met 'n weegskaal?
13 Wie het die Gees van die HERE bestier en as sy raadsman Hom onderrig?
14 Met wie het Hy raad gehou, dat die Hom verstand sou gee en Hom sou leer aangaande die pad van die reg, en Hom kennis sou leer en Hom bekend maak die weg van volledige insig?
15 Kyk, die nasies is soos 'n druppel aan die emmer, en soos 'n stoffie aan die weegskaal word hulle gereken. Kyk, Hy hef die eilande op soos 'n stoffie!
16 En die L¡banon is nie genoeg as brandhout en sy wild nie genoeg as brandoffer nie.
17 Al die nasies is voor Hom soos niks: as niks en nietigheid word hulle by Hom gereken.
18 By wie wil julle God dan vergelyk? Of watter gelykenis naas Hom stel?
19 Die ambagsman giet 'n beeld, en die goudsmid trek dit oor met goud en smelt silwerkettings.
20 Wie te arm is vir so 'n offergawe, kies 'n stuk hout wat nie vergaan nie; hy soek vir hom 'n kunsvaardige ambagsman om 'n beeld op te rig wat nie wankel nie.
21 Weet julle nie? Hoor julle nie? Is dit julle nie van die begin af bekend gemaak nie? Het julle nie op die fondamente van die aarde gelet nie?
22 Hy sit bo die kring van die aarde, en die bewoners daarvan is soos sprinkane; Hy span die hemele uit soos 'n dun doek en sprei dit uit soos 'n tent om in te woon.
23 Hy maak die vorste tot niet, die heersers van die aarde verander Hy in nietigheid;
24 skaars is hulle geplant, skaars is hulle gesaai, skaars wortel hulle stam in die grond, of Hy blaas op hulle, sodat hulle verdor, en die storm voer hulle weg soos 'n stoppel.
25 By wie sal julle My dan vergelyk, dat Ek net so kan wees? sê die Heilige.
26 Slaan julle oë op in die hoogte en kyk! Wie het hierdie dinge geskape? Hy laat hulle leërskare uittrek volgens getal, Hy roep hulle almal by die naam, vanweë die grootheid van kragte en omdat Hy sterk van vermoë is; daar word nie een gemis nie.
27 Waarom sê jy dan, o Jakob, en spreek jy, o Israel: My weg is vir die HERE verborge, en my reg gaan by my God verby?
28 Weet jy dit nie? Of het jy dit nie gehoor nie? 'n Ewige God is die HERE, Skepper van die eindes van die aarde; Hy word nie moeg of mat nie; daar is geen deurgronding van sy verstand nie.
29 Hy gee die vermoeide krag en vermenigvuldig sterkte vir die wat geen kragte het nie.
30 Die jonges word moeg en mat, en die jongmanne struikel selfs;
31 maar die wat op die HERE wag, kry nuwe krag; hulle vaar op met vleuels soos die arende; hulle hardloop en word nie moeg nie, hulle wandel en word nie mat nie.
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.