上帝对祂子民的安慰
1你们的上帝说：
“你们要安慰我的子民。
2要温柔地告诉耶路撒冷，
她的苦难已经结束，
她的罪恶已经被除去。
她因自己的一切罪已受到耶和华加倍的惩罚40:2 “她因自己的一切罪已受到耶和华加倍的惩罚”或译“她的一切罪已得到耶和华双倍的赦免”。。”
3听啊，有人高喊：
“在旷野预备耶和华的道，
在沙漠修直我们上帝的路。
4一切山谷将被填满，
大山小丘将被削平；
坎坷之地将变得平坦，
崎岖的地面将成为平原。
5耶和华的荣耀必彰显，
世人必一同看见。
这是耶和华亲口说的。”
6有声音说：“呼喊吧！”
我问道：“我呼喊什么呢？”
那声音说：“芸芸众生尽如草，
荣华富贵像野地的花。
7耶和华吹一口气，
草就枯干，花也凋残。
人类诚然像草。
8草必枯干，花必凋残，
唯有我们上帝的话永远长存。”
9向锡安报告好消息的人啊，
要登上高山！
向耶路撒冷报告好消息的人啊，
要大声宣告！
要提高声音，不要惧怕！
要高声对犹大的城邑说：
“你们的上帝来了！”
10看啊，主耶和华带着能力来了，
祂的臂膀执掌王权；
祂带着赏赐而来，
要酬劳祂的子民。
11祂像牧人一样牧养自己的羊群，
用臂膀把羊羔聚在一起，
抱在怀中，
温柔地引导母羊。
12谁曾用手心量海水？
谁曾用手掌度苍天？
谁曾用升斗盛大地的尘土？
谁曾用秤称高山，用天平称丘陵？
13谁曾测度耶和华的心？
谁曾做祂的谋士指点祂？
14祂请教过谁？
谁教过祂正道？
谁教过祂知识？
谁指点过祂领悟之道？
15看啊，列国就像水桶中的一滴水，
又如天平上的尘埃。
祂举起众海岛，好像捧起微尘。
16黎巴嫩的树木不够作献祭的燃料，
林中的走兽也不够作燔祭。
17万国在祂面前都算不得什么，
在祂看来不过是虚无。
18你们拿谁与上帝相比呢？
你们用什么形象比作上帝呢？
19偶像是工匠制造的，
银匠替它包上金子、打造银链。
20买不起这种偶像的人就选一块耐用的木头，
找个精巧的工匠，
雕出一个可以站立不倒的偶像。
21难道你们不知道吗？
难道你们没有听过吗？
难道不是从起初就告诉过你们吗？
难道从大地奠立根基以来，
你们一直没有明白吗？
22上帝的宝座设立在大地的圆圈之上，
地上的人类好像蚱蜢。
祂铺展诸天，就像铺展幔子、铺展人居住的帐篷。
23祂使掌权者归于无有，
使世上的审判官化为虚无。
24他们像草一样刚被栽上，
刚被种上，
刚在土里扎根，
上帝一口气吹来，便都枯干了，
暴风将他们像禾秸一样吹去。
25那位圣者说：“你们拿谁与我相比，
使之与我同等呢？”
26你们向天举目，
看看是谁创造了这万象？
是谁把众星一一领出来，
给它们取名？
祂的权柄和能力极大无比，
它们一个也不会少。
27雅各啊，你怎能说耶和华看不见你的遭遇呢？
以色列啊，你怎能说上帝并不顾念你的冤情呢？
28难道你不知道？
难道你没有听见过？
永恒的上帝耶和华——创造地极的主宰不会疲乏也不会困倦，
祂的智慧深不可测。
29祂赐疲乏的人能力，
给软弱的人力量。
30即使青年也会疲乏困倦，
强壮的人也会踉跄跌倒；
31但仰望耶和华的人必重新得力。
他们必像鹰一样展翅高飞，
他们奔跑也不困倦，
他们行走也不疲乏。
1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2Speak 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.40.2 comfortably: Heb. to the heart40.2 warfare: or, appointed time
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. 4Every 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:40.4 straight: or, a straight place40.4 plain: or, a plain place 5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6The 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: 7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8The 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!40.9 O Zion…: or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion40.9 O Jerusalem…: or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem 10Behold, 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.40.10 with strong…: or, against the strong40.10 his work: or, recompence for his work 11He 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.40.11 that…: or, that give suck
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?40.12 a measure: Heb. a tierce 13Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?40.13 his…: Heb. man of his counsel 14With 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?40.14 instructed…: Heb. made him understand40.14 understanding: Heb. understandings? 15Behold, 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. 16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17All 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? 19The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. 20He 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.40.20 is so…: Heb. is poor of oblation 21Have 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? 22It 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:40.22 It is…: or, Him that 23That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. 24Yea, 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. 25To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26Lift 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.
27Why 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. 29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31But 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.40.31 renew: Heb. change
