Isaiah 40

40 ¹Comfort, comfort my people, na so your Papa talk. ²Talk soft-soft to Jerusalem, and make you tell am sey her hard suffer-suffer don finish, sey her guilt don forgive, sey she don collect from our Papa hand double for all her sins.

³Una dey hear one voice wey dey cry out: For inside di wilderness, prepare di way of our Papa; make you build one straight highway pass di desert for our Papa. ^a a v3 All di four Gospels take dis prophecy of di voice wey dey cry for wilderness put am for John di Baptist wey dey prepare di way for Jesus (Mark 1:3, Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23). Di One wey dem dey prepare im way na Jesus, for inside am our Papa dey come meet im people. ⁴Every valley go rise up, and every mountain and hill go come low; di ground wey no level go come level, and di rough places go come be flat land. ⁵And di glory of our Papa go show, and all people go see am together, because na di mouth of our Papa don talk am.

⁶One voice talk sey, “Cry out!” And I ask sey, “Wetin I go cry out?” All people be like grass, and all their faithfulness be like di flower for di field. ⁷Di grass dey dry, di flower dey wither when di breath of our Papa blow on am; true-true, di people na grass. ⁸Di grass dey dry, di flower dey wither, but di word of our Papa go stand forever.

⁹Climb go on top one high mountain, Zion, you wey dey carry good news; lift up your voice with power, Jerusalem, you wey dey carry good news. Lift am up, no fear; tell di cities of Judah sey, “See your Papa!” ¹⁰See, di Sovereign Papa dey come with power, and im arm dey rule for am; see, im reward dey with am, and im payment dey go before am. ¹¹E go take care of im flock like shepherd; e go gather di lambs for im arm and carry dem close to im heart; e go lead soft-soft dem wey get pikin. ^b b v11 Our Papa na di shepherd wey dey gather im lambs and carry dem close to im heart. Jesus take dis same shepherd-care when e talk sey, “Na me be di good shepherd” (John 10:11). ¹²Who don measure di waters for inside im hand, and mark out di heavens with di width of im hand, gather di dust of di earth put for measure, and weigh di mountains for scales and di hills for balance? ¹³Who don direct di Spirit of our Papa, abi as im counselor teach am wetin to do? ¹⁴Who e ask advice from, and who make am understand? Who teach am di path of justice, and teach am knowledge, and show am di way of understanding? ¹⁵Di nations be like one drop wey comot for bucket, and dem count dem like di dust for scales; e dey lift up di islands like fine-fine dust. ¹⁶Lebanon no reach to burn, and im animals no reach for burnt offering. ¹⁷All di nations be like nothing before am; e dey count dem as sometin wey small pass nothing and pass empty. ¹⁸So who una go take our Papa resemble? Abi wetin una go compare am with? ¹⁹One idol! One craftsman dey cast am, and goldsmith dey cover am with gold and dey cast silver chains for am. ²⁰Person wey too poor for dat kind offering dey pick wood wey no go rotten; e dey find craftsman wey sabi work well well to set up idol wey no go fall. ²¹Una no know? Una no hear? Dem no tell una am from di beginning? Una no understand am from di time dem lay di foundation of di earth? ²²E dey sidon for im throne on top di round earth, and di people wey dey down small like grasshopper; e dey spread di skies like thin cloth, dey pitch dem like tent to live inside. ²³E dey turn princes to nothing, and dey make di rulers of di earth be like empty tin. ²⁴Dem never even plant dem well, dem never even sow dem, their stem never even catch root for ground, when e blow on dem and dem dry, and di storm carry dem comot like chaff.

²⁵“So who una go compare me with, wey I go resemble am?” na so di Holy One talk.

²⁶Look up go di heavens and see: who create dis ones? Na di One wey dey bring out their army by number, dey call all of dem by name; because e great for power and strong for might, no single one dey miss. ²⁷Why una dey talk, Jacob, and dey complain, Israel, “My way hide from our Papa, and my Papa no dey mind my right”? ²⁸Una no know? Una no hear? Our Papa na di everlasting Papa, di Creator of di ends of di earth. E no dey tire, e no dey weak; nobody fit reach di bottom of im understanding. ²⁹E dey give power to di one wey tire, and dey add strength for di one wey no get power. ³⁰Even young people go tire and go weak, and young men go fall down finish; ³¹but dem wey dey wait for our Papa go get new strength; dem go fly with wings like eagle; dem go run and no go tire; dem go waka and no go weak.