The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

'I — I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine years.

I said, I do not see Jah — Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any more, With the inhabitants of the world.

My sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end me.

I have set [Him] till morning as a lion, So doth He break all my bones, From day unto night Thou dost end me.

As a crane — a swallow — so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, Drawn up have been mine eyes on high, O Jehovah, oppression [is] on me, be my surety.

— What do I say? seeing He said to me, And He Himself hath wrought, I go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul.

Lord, by these do [men] live, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also to live,

Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without corruption, For Thou hast cast behind Thy back all my sins.

For Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not for Thy truth.

The living, the living, he doth confess Thee.

Like myself to-day — a father to sons Doth make known of Thy faithfulness, O Jehovah — to save me: And my songs we sing all days of our lives In the house of Jehovah.'

And Isaiah saith, 'Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.'

And Hezekiah saith, 'What [is] the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'

At that time hath Merodach-Baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah, when he heareth that he hath been sick, and is become strong.

And Hezekiah rejoiceth over them, and sheweth them the house of his spices, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the good ointment, and all the house of his vessels, and all that hath been found in his treasures; there hath not been a thing in his house, and in all his dominion, that Hezekiah hath not shewed them.

And Isaiah the prophet cometh in unto king Hezekiah, and saith unto him, 'What said these men? and whence come they unto thee?' And Hezekiah saith, 'From a land afar off they have come unto me — from Babylon.'

And he saith, 'What saw they in thy house?' and Hezekiah saith, 'All that [is] in my house they saw; there hath not been a thing that I have not shewed them among my treasures.'

And Isaiah saith unto Hezekiah, 'Hear a word of Jehovah of Hosts:

Lo, days are coming, and borne hath been all that [is] in thy house, and that thy fathers have treasured up till this day, to Babylon; there is not left a thing, said Jehovah;

and of thy sons who come forth from thee, whom thou begettest, they take, and they have been eunuchs in a palace of the king of Babylon.'

And Hezekiah saith unto Isaiah, 'Good [is] the word of Jehovah that thou hast spoken;' and he saith, 'Because there is peace and truth in my days.'

Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.

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.

A voice is crying — in a wilderness — Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.

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.

And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen [it] have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.

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:

Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people [is] grass;

Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever.

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.'

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.

As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth [them]: Suckling ones He leadeth.

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?

Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, [being] His counsellor, doth teach Him!

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?

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.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

All the nations [are] as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?

The graven image poured out hath a artisan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.

He who is poor [by] heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artisan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image — not moved.

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?

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.

He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

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.

And unto whom do ye liken Me, And [am] I equal? saith the Holy One.

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.

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.'

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.

He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might.

Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

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!

Keep silent towards Me, O isles, And the peoples pass on [to] power, They come nigh, then they speak, 'Together — to judgment we draw near.'

Who stirred up from the east a righteous one? He calleth him to His foot, He giveth before him nations, And kings He causeth him to rule, He giveth [them] as dust [to] his sword, As driven stubble [to] his bow.

He pursueth them, he passeth over in safety A path with his feet he entereth not.

Who hath wrought and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last I [am] He.

Seen have isles and fear, ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, yea, they come.

Each his neighbour they help, And to his brother he saith, 'Be strong.'

And strengthen doth an artisan the refiner, A smoother [with] a hammer, Him who is beating [on] an anvil, Saying, 'For joining it [is] good,' And he strengtheneth it with nails, it is not moved!

— And thou, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham, My lover,

Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called thee, And I say to thee, My servant Thou [art], I have chosen thee, and not rejected thee.

Be not afraid, for with thee I [am], Look not around, for I [am] thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld thee, With the right hand of My righteousness.

Lo, all those displeased with thee, They are ashamed and blush, They are as nothing, yea, perish Do the men who strive with thee.

Thou seekest them, and findest them not, The men who debate with thee, They are as nothing, yea, as nothing, The men who war with thee.

For I, Jehovah thy God, Am strengthening thy right hand, He who is saying to thee, 'Fear not, I have helped thee.'

Fear not, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest.

Thou winnowest them, and a wind lifteth them up, And a whirlwind scattereth them, And thou — thou rejoicest in Jehovah, In the Holy One of Israel dost boast thyself.

The poor and the needy are seeking water, And there is none, Their tongue with thirst hath failed, I, Jehovah do answer them, The God of Israel — I forsake them not.

I open on high places rivers, And in midst of valleys fountains, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land become springs of water.

I give in a wilderness the cedar, Shittah, and myrtle, and oil-tree, I set in a desert the fir-pine and box-wood together.

So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath prepared it.

Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.

They bring nigh, and declare to us that which doth happen, The first things — what they [are] declare ye, And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or the coming things cause us to hear.

Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye [are] gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see [it] together.

Lo, ye [are] of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination — it fixeth on you.

I have stirred up [one] from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in [on] prefects as [on] clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.

Who hath declared from the first, and we know? And beforetime, and we say, 'Righteous?' yea, there is none declaring, Yea, there is none proclaiming, Yea, there is none hearing your sayings.

First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,

And I see that there is no man, Yea, of these that there is no counsellor, And I ask them, and they return word:

'Lo, all of them [are] vanity, Nought [are] their works, Wind and emptiness their molten images!'

Lo, My servant, I take hold on him, My chosen one — My soul hath accepted, I have put My Spirit upon him, Judgment to nations he bringeth forth.

He doth not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause his voice to be heard, in the street.

A bruised reed he breaketh not, And dim flax he quencheth not, To truth he bringeth forth judgment.

He doth not become weak nor bruised, Till he setteth judgment in the earth, And for his law isles wait with hope.

Thus said God, Jehovah, preparing The heavens, and stretching them out, Spreading out the earth and its productions, Giving breath to the people on it, And spirit to those walking in it.

I, Jehovah, did call thee in righteousness, And I lay hold on thy hand, and keep thee, And I give thee for a covenant of a people, And a light of nations.

To open the eyes of the blind, To bring forth from prison the bound one, From the house of restraint those sitting in darkness.

I [am] Jehovah, this [is] My name, And Mine honour to another I give not, Nor My praise to graven images.

The former things, lo, have come, And new things I am declaring, Before they spring up I cause you to hear.

Sing to Jehovah a new song, His praise from the end of the earth, Ye who are going down to the sea, and its fulness, Isles, and their inhabitants.

The wilderness and its cities do lift up [the voice], The villages Kedar doth inhabit, Sing do the inhabitants of Sela, From the top of mountains they cry.

They ascribe to Jehovah honour, And His praise in the isles they declare.

Jehovah as a mighty one goeth forth. As a man of war He stirreth up zeal, He crieth, yea, He shrieketh, Against His enemies He showeth Himself mighty.

I have kept silent from of old, I keep silent, I refrain myself, As a travailing woman I cry out, I desolate and swallow up together.

I make waste mountains and hills, And all their herbs I dry up, And I have made rivers become isles, And ponds I dry up.

And I have caused the blind to go, In a way they have not known, In paths they have not known I cause them to tread, I make a dark place before them become light, And unlevelled places become a plain, These [are] the things I have done to them, And I have not forsaken them.

Removed backward — utterly ashamed, Are those trusting in a graven image, Those saying to a molten image, 'Ye [are] our gods.'

Ye deaf, hear; and ye blind, look to see.

Who [is] blind but My servant? And deaf as My messenger I send? Who [is] blind as he who is at peace, Yea, blind, as the servant of Jehovah?