“ Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.

你们的神说：“你们要安慰，安慰我的百姓。

你们的上帝说：“要安慰，安慰我的百姓。

你们的神说：“要安慰，安慰我的百姓。

你们的上帝说：“你们要安慰我的子民。

你们的神说：“你们要安慰，要安慰我的子民！

你们的神说：“要安慰，要安慰我的子民；

你們的神說：你們要安慰，安慰我的百姓。

你們的上帝說：「要安慰，安慰我的百姓。

你們的神說：「要安慰，安慰我的百姓。

你們的上帝說：「你們要安慰我的子民。

你們的神說：“你們要安慰，要安慰我的子民！

你們的上帝說：要安慰，要安慰我的人民哦。

你們的神說：「要安慰，要安慰我的子民；

爾之上帝曰、爾其慰藉、慰藉我民、

上帝曰、爾其慰藉我民、慰藉我民、

爾之天主曰、爾當慰藉、慰藉我民、

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

“ Comfort my people,” says your God.“ Comfort them.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

“ Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.

“ Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.

“ Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.

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

“ Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.

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

“ Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.

“ Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.

“ I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster.On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,“ Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

So encourage each other with these words.

“ Listen to this message from the Lord, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock.For the Lord has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them.They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone.The young women will dance for joy, and the men— old and young— will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.The priests will enjoy abundance, and my people will feast on my good gifts. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

“ Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and all you who mourn for her.Drink deeply of her glory even as an infant drinks at its mother’s comforting breasts.”This is what the Lord says:“ I will give Jerusalem a river of peace and prosperity. The wealth of the nations will flow to her. Her children will be nursed at her breasts, carried in her arms, and held on her lap.I will comfort you there in Jerusalem as a mother comforts her child.”When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. You will flourish like the grass! Everyone will see the Lord’s hand of blessing on his servants— and his anger against his enemies.

And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ My servants will eat, but you will starve. My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. My servants will rejoice, but you will be sad and ashamed.My servants will sing for joy, but you will cry in sorrow and despair.

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.

Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering.Yet Jerusalem says,“ The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”“ Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.

“ Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.“ Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands.Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshiping the Lord.The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. I will accept their offerings, and I will make my Temple glorious.“ And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?They are ships from the ends of the earth, from lands that trust in me, led by the great ships of Tarshish. They are bringing the people of Israel home from far away, carrying their silver and gold. They will honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has filled you with splendor.“ Foreigners will come to rebuild your towns, and their kings will serve you. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will now have mercy on you through my grace.Your gates will stay open day and night to receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will be led as captives in a victory procession.For the nations that refuse to serve you will be destroyed.“ The glory of Lebanon will be yours— the forests of cypress, fir, and pine— to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious!The descendants of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the Lord, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.“ Though you were once despised and hated, with no one traveling through you, I will make you beautiful forever, a joy to all generations.Powerful kings and mighty nations will satisfy your every need, as though you were a child nursing at the breast of a queen. You will know at last that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. I will make peace your leader and righteousness your ruler.Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.“ No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory.The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

I was the first to tell Zion,‘ Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.

In that day you will sing:“ I will praise you, O Lord! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.Say to those with fearful hearts,“ Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.“ See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing.You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you. Those who attack you will come to nothing.For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you,‘ Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’

Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has sent this message to every land:“ Tell the people of Israel,‘ Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”They will be called“ The Holy People” and“ The People Redeemed by the Lord.” And Jerusalem will be known as“ The Desirable Place” and“ The City No Longer Forsaken.”

And Nehemiah continued,“ Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:“ I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away— all the souls I have made.I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way.I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn,bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, who heals them.

Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!

God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind.So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.