This week and next week in Greek Isaiah in a Year will cover Isaiah 38:12-40:31 (that’s through 40 chapters!). Here are the readings for each day:
07/01/13 Isa 38:12–16
07/02/13 Isa 38:17–22
07/03/13 Isa 39:1–4
07/04/13 Isa 39:5–8
07/05/13 Isa 40:1–5
07/08/13 Isa 40:6–8
07/09/13 Isa 40:9–14
07/10/13 Isa 40:15–20
07/11/13 Isa 40:21–25
07/12/13 Isa 40:26–31
Below is the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint, first in Greek, then with his English translation. Ottley is also here in Logos (reviewed here) and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain. The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).
See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah.
38 12 ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας μου κατέλιπον τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ζωῆς μου, ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ ὥσπερ ὁ καταλύων σκηνὴν πήξας· τὸ πνεῦμά μου παρʼ ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἱστὸς ἐρίθου ἐγγιζούσης ἐκτεμεῖν. 13 ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ παρεδόθην ἕως πρωὶ ὡς λέοντι, οὕτως τὰ ὀστᾶ μου συνέτριψεν· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς νυκτὸς παρεδόθην. 14 ὡς χελιδών, οὕτως φωνήσω, καὶ ὡς περιστερά, οὕτως μελετήσω· ἐξέλιπον γάρ μου οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ βλέπειν εἰς τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πρὸς τὸν κύριον, ὃς ἐξείλατό με καὶ ἀφείλατό μου τὴν ὀδύνην τῆς ψυχῆς. 16 Κύριε, περὶ αὐτῆς γὰρ ἀνηγγέλη σοι, καὶ ἐξήγειράς μου τὴν πνοήν, καὶ παρακληθεὶς ἔζησα. 17 εἵλου γάρ μου τὴν ψυχὴν ἵνα μὴ ἀπόληται, καὶ ἀπέριψας ὀπίσω μου πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου. 18 οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐν ᾅδου αἰνέσουσίν σε, οὐδὲ οἱ ἀποθανόντες εὐλογήσουσίν σε, οὐδὲ ἐλπιοῦσιν οἱ ἐν ᾅδου τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην σου. 19 οἱ ζῶντες εὐλογήσουσίν σε ὃν τρόπον κἀγώ· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς σήμερον παιδία ποιήσω, ἃ ἀναγγελοῦσιν τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, 20 Κύριε τῆς σωτηρίας μου· καὶ οὐ παύσομαι εὐλογῶν σε μετὰ ψαλτηρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου κατέναντι τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ.
21 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἠσαίας πρὸς Ἑζεκίαν Λάβε παλάθην ἐκ σύκων καὶ τρίψον καὶ κατάπλασαι, καὶ ὑγιὴς ἔσῃ. 22 καὶ εἶπεν Ἑζεκίας Τοῦτο τὸ σημεῖον ὅτι ἀναβήσομαι εἰς τὸν οἶκον Κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ.
39 1 Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀπέστειλεν Μαρωδὰχ υἱὸς τοῦ Λααδὰν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἐπιστολὰς καὶ πρέσβεις καὶ δῶρα Ἑζεκίᾳ· ἤκουσεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐμαλακίσθη ἕως θανάτου καὶ ἀνέστη. 2 καὶ ἐχάρη ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς Ἑζεκίας χαρὰν μεγάλην, καὶ ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ νεχωθὰ καὶ τῆς στακτῆς καὶ τῶν θυμιαμάτων καὶ τοῦ μύρου καὶ τοῦ ἀργυρίου καὶ τοῦ χρυσίου, καὶ πάντας τοὺς οἴκους τῶν σκευῶν τῆς γάζης, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἦν ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὐκ ἦν οὐθὲν ὃ οὐκ ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς Ἑζεκίας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. 3 καὶ ἦλθεν Ἠσαίας ὁ προφήτης πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἑζεκίαν καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν Τί λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι, καὶ πόθεν ἥκασιν πρὸς σέ; καὶ εἶπεν Ἑζεκίας Ἐκ γῆς πόρρωθεν ἥκασιν πρὸς μέ, ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος. 4 καὶ εἶπεν Ἠσαίας Τί ἴδον ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου; καὶ εἶπεν Ἑζεκίας Πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἴδοσαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ὃ οὐκ εἴδοσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς μου. 5 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἠσαίας Ἄκουσον τὸν λόγον Κύριου σαβαώθ. 6 Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ λήμψονται πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, καὶ ὅσα συνήγαγον οἱ πατέρες σου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἥξει, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταλίπωσιν οὐδέν· εἶπεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς 7 ὅτι Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τέκνων σου ὧν ἐγέννησας λήμψονται, καὶ ποιήσουσιν σπάδοντας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Βαβυλωνίων. 8 καὶ εἶπεν Ἑζεκίας πρὸς Ἠσαίαν Ἀγαθὸς ὁ λόγος Κυρίου ὃν ἐλάλησεν· γενέσθω δὴ εἰρήνη καὶ δικαιοσύνη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου.
40 1 Παρακαλεῖτε, παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει Κύριος. 2 ἱερεῖς, λαλήσατε εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἰερουσαλήμ, παρακαλέσατε αὐτήν, ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ ταπείνωσις αὐτῆς, λέλυται αὐτῆς ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὅτι ἐδέξατο ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου διπλᾶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῆς. 3 Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν. 4 πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται· καὶ ἔσται τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν, καὶ ἡ τραχεῖα εἰς ὁδοὺς λείας, 5 καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα Κυρίου, καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησεν. 6 φωνὴ λέγοντος Βόησον. καὶ εἶπα Τί βοήσω; Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· 8 ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν, τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 9 Ἐπʼ ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι, ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιών· ὕψωσον τῇ ἰσχύι τὴν φωνήν σου, ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος Ἰερουσαλήμ· ὑψώσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· εἰπὸν ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα Ἰδοὺ ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν. 10 Ἰδοὺ Κύριος μετὰ ἰσχύος ἔρχεται, καὶ ὁ βραχίων αὐτοῦ μετὰ κυρίας· ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ μετʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ. 11 ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ συνάξει ἄρνας, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας παρακαλέσει. 12 Τίς ἐμέτρησεν τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακί; τίς ἔστησεν τὰ ὄρη σταθμῷ καὶ τὰς νάπας ζυγῷ; 13 τίς ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, καὶ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; 14 ἢ πρὸς τίνα συνεβουλεύσατο καὶ συνεβίβασεν αὐτόν; ἢ τίς ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ κρίσιν; ἢ ὁδὸν συνέσεως τίς ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ; ἢ τίς προέδωκεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνταποδοθήσεται αὐτῷ; 15 εἰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ ἐλογίσθησαν, καὶ ὡς σίελον λογισθήσονται; 16 ὁ δὲ Λίβανος οὐχ ἱκανὸς εἰς καῦσιν, καὶ πάντα τὰ τετράποδα οὐχ ἱκανὰ εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, 17 καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς οὐδέν εἰσιν, καὶ εἰς οὐθὲν ἐλογίσθησαν 18 Τίνι ὡμοιώσατε Κύριον, καὶ τίνι ὁμοιώματι ὡμοιώσατε αὐτόν.; 19 μὴ εἰκόνα ἐποίησεν τέκτων, ἢ χρυσοχόος χωνεύσας χρυσίον περιεχρύσωσεν αὐτόν; ὁμοίωμα κατεσκεύασεν αὐτόν; 20 ξύλον γὰρ ἄσηπτον ἐκλέγεται τέκτων, καὶ σοφῶς ζητεῖ πῶς στήσει αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα, καὶ ἵνα μὴ σαλεύηται. 21 οὐ γνώσεσθε; οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε; οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑμῖν; οὐκ ἔγνωτε τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς; 22 ὁ κατέχων τὸν γῦρον τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ἀκρίδες, ὁ στήσας ὡς καμάραν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ διατείνας ὡς σκηνὴν κατοικεῖν, 23 ὁ διδοὺς ἄρχοντας εἰς οὐδὲν ἄρχειν, τὴν δὲ γῆν ὡς οὐδὲν ἐποίησεν. 24 οὐ γὰρ μὴ σπείρωσιν οὐδὲ μὴ φυτεύσουσιν, οὐδὲ μὴ ῥιζωθῇ εἰς τὴν γῆν ἡ ῥίζα αὐτῶν· ἔπνευσεν ἐπʼ αὐτούς, καὶ ἐξηράνθησαν, καὶ καταιγὶς ὡς φρύγανα ἀναλήμψεται αὐτούς. 25 νῦν οὖν τίνι με ὡμοιώσατε, καὶ ὑψωθήσομαι; εἶπεν ὁ ἅγιος. 26 ἀναβλέψατε εἰς τὸ ὕψος τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἴδετε· τίς κατέδειξεν πάντα ταῦτα; ὁ ἐκφέρων κατὰ ἀριθμὸν τὸν κόσμον αὐτοῦ, πάντα ἐπʼ ὀνόματι καλέσει ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς δόξης, καὶ ἐν κράτει ἰσχύος οὐδέν σε ἔλαθεν. 27 Μὴ γὰρ εἴπῃς, Ἰακώβ, καὶ τί ἐλάλησας, Ἰσραήλ Ἀπεκρύβη ἡ ὁδός μου ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ θεός μου τὴν κρίσιν ἀφεῖλεν, καὶ ἀπέστη; 28 καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔγνως; εἰ μὴ ἤκουσας; θεὸς αἰώνιος, θεὸς ὁ κατασκευάσας τὰ ἄκρα τῆς γῆς, οὐ πεινάσει οὐδὲ κοπιάσει, οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἐξεύρεσις τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτοῦ, 29 διδοὺς τοῖς πεινῶσιν ἰσχύν, καὶ τοῖς μὴ ὀδυνωμένοις λύπην. 30 πεινάσουσιν γὰρ νεώτεροι, καὶ κοπιάσουσιν νεανίσκοι, καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ ἀνίσχυες ἔσονται· 31 οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὸν θεὸν ἀλλάξουσιν ἰσχύν, πτεροφυήσουσιν ὡς ἀετοί, δραμοῦνται καὶ οὐ κοπιάσουσιν, βαδιοῦνται καὶ οὐ πεινάσουσιν.
38 12 From among my kindred; I have left behind the residue of my life; it is gone forth and departed from me, like him that looseth his tent which he hath pitched; my spirit in me became as a web, when she that weaveth draweth near to cut it off.
13 In that day was I given over until morning, as to a lion; so hath he crushed all my bones; for from the day until night was I given over.
14 As a swallow, so will I cry, and as a dove, so will I rehearse it; for mine eyes have failed from looking up to the height of heaven to the Lord, who rescued me, and took away the anguish of my soul.
16 O Lord; yea, it was told thee concerning it, and thou didst rouse up my breath, and I was comforted, and came to life.
17 For thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, and hast cast away all my sins behind me.
18 For they that are in hell shall not praise thee, nor shall the dead bless thee, nor they in hell hope for thy mercy.
19 The living shall bless thee, as I also do; for from today will I beget children which shall declare thy righteousness,
20 O Lord of my salvation; and I will not cease blessing thee upon the psaltery, all the days of my life, in front of the house of God.
21 And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Take a cake of figs, and bruise it, and apply it as a plaister, and thou shalt be whole.
22 And Hezekiah said, This is the sign, that I shall go up into the house of the Lord God.
39 1 At that time Merodach, the son of Baladan, king of Babylonia, sent a letter and envoys and presents to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had fallen sick unto death, and had arisen again.
2 And Hezekiah rejoiced with great joy over them, and showed them the house of the treasury, and of the balsam, and the incense, and the myrrh, and the silver, and the gold, and all the houses of the vessels of the treasure, and all that was among his treasures; and there was nothing which Hezekiah showed them not in his house.
3 And Isaiah the prophet came to the king Hezekiah, and said to him, What say these men, and from whence are they come to thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a land (from) afar unto me, from Babylon.
4 And Isaiah said, What saw they in thine house? And Hezekiah said, They saw all that is in my house, and there is nothing in my house which they saw not, but (they saw) even that which is among my treasures:
5 And Isaiah said unto him, Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts;
6 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, and they shall take all that is in thine house, and all that thy fathers gathered together unto this day shall come to Babylon, and they shall leave nothing behind; and God said,
7 They shall take also of thy children, which thou shalt beget, and shall make them eunuchs in the house of the king of the Babylonians.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Good is the Lord’s word which he hath spoken: let there be now peace and righteousness in my days.
40 1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord.
2 Ye priests, speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, comfort her, for her humbling is fulfilled, her sin is atoned for, for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double of her sins.
3 A voice, of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.
4 Every valley shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked places shall become a straight (path), and the rough land smooth ways.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be seen, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, for the Lord hath spoken.
6 A voice of one saying, Cry! And I said, What shall I cry? All flesh(is) grass, and all glory of man (is) as the flower of grass.
8 The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen; but the word of our God abideth for ever.
9 Go up upon a high mountain, thou that bringest good tidings to Zion; lift up thy voice with thy strength, thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem: lift ye up (your voice), fear not; say thou to the cities of Judah, Behold your God.
10 Behold, the Lord cometh with strength, and his arm with power: behold, his reward (is) with him, and his work before him.
11 As a shepherd shall he tend his flock, and with his arm shall he gather lambs, and shall comfort those with young.
12 Who measured the water with his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth with an handful? Who hath weighed the mountains with a scale, and the valleys with a balance?
13 Who hath understood the mind of the Lord, and who was his fellow-counsellor, that shall teach him?
14 Or with whom shared he his counsel, and he taught him? or who showed him judgment? or who showed him the way of understanding? or who gave to him at the first, and it shall be rendered him again?
15 If all the nations had been reckoned as a drop from a jar, or as the turn of a scale, shall they be reckoned even as spittle?
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient for burning, and all the (four footed)beasts are not sufficient for a (whole) burnt offering.
17 And all the nations are as nothing, and are reckoned for nothing.
18 To whom have ye likened the Lord, and with what likeness have ye likened him?
19 Hath the craftsman made an image, or a goldsmith cast gold, and gilded it over? hath he prepared it as a likeness?
20 For a craftsman chooseth out a tree which doth not rot, and seeketh cunningly how to set up an image there: and that it may not be moved.
21 Will ye not learn? will ye not hear? was it not proclaimed to you from the beginning? have ye not learnt the foundations of the earth?
22 (It is) he that holdeth the circle of the earth, and they that dwell in it are as locusts; he that setteth up the heaven as a canopy, and stretcheth it out as a tent to dwell in,
23 He that giveth rulers to rule as nothing, and he made the earth as nothing.
24 For they shall not sow, nor plant, neither shall their root be rooted in the earth; he breatheth upon them, and they are withered, and a tempest shall seize upon them as brushwood.
25 Now therefore to whom liken ye me, and I shall be exalted? saith the Holy One.
26 Look up on high with your eyes, and see; who hath shown forth all these things? he, that bringeth forth his array by number, will call them all by name from the abundance of his glory, and in the might of strength nothing faileth thee.
27 For say not, Jacob, and why sayest thou, Israel, My way is hid from God, and my God hath taken away my judgment, and hath stood aloof!
28 And now, hast thou not learnt? hast thou not heard? the everlasting God, God who hath framed the ends of the earth, will not hunger, nor grow weary,—nor is there any finding out of his understanding—,
29 Giving strength to the hungry, and pain to them that suffer not.
30 For youths shall hunger, and young men shall be weary, and chosen men shall be without strength:
31 But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall put forth wings as eagles; they shall run, and shall not be weary; they shall walk, and shall not hunger.
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