In this verse God gives the content of his message that is to give comfort to the exiles of Judah. He continues to address his agent(s) here.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem: Speak tenderly is literally “Speak to the heart” (New Jerusalem Bible). This same expression occurs in Hos 2.14 and elsewhere. Here it is parallel with “Comfort” in the previous verse. Contemporary English Version and Revised English Bible say “Speak kindly,” while Good News Translation suggests, “Encourage,” which gives the purpose of speaking tenderly. Jerusalem refers to “the people of Jerusalem” (Good News Translation) and the other people of Judah who are in exile. The city of Jerusalem at this time was destroyed.

And cry to her introduces the comforting message for the exiles. The Hebrew verb rendered cry is better translated “proclaim” (New International Version, Revised English Bible) or “announce” (Contemporary English Version) in this context. Good News Translation has “Tell,” but this is a rather weak rendering. The pronoun her refers back to Jerusalem.

The last four lines of this verse give the content of the message of comfort. There are three parts to this message. Each part is introduced by Hebrew particle ki, which is rendered that.

That her warfare is ended is the first part. The Hebrew word rendered warfare is better translated “hard service” (New International Version), “hard labor” (Bible en français courant), or “term of bondage” (Revised English Bible) in this context of the Babylonian Exile (597-538 B.C.), which was a time of physical and mental hardship for the people of Judah (see Psa 137). The comforting words in this line indicate that this time of suffering has come to an end. Good News Translation expresses it generally with “they have suffered long enough.”

That her iniquity is pardoned is the second part of the message of comfort. This line is literally “that her guilt/sin has been accepted favorably,” which means God has forgiven the sins of the people of Judah. In 2 Kgs 23.26-27 we read that despite King Josiah’s reforms, God punished them with exile because of their evil deeds. For this line Good News Translation has “and their sins are now forgiven,” and New International Version says “that her sin has been paid for” (similarly GNB footnote|prj:GNTD.Isa 40.2).

That she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins: There are three possible ways to connect this clause with the rest of the verse since it begins with the Hebrew particle ki. First, it may be the third part of the message of comfort. This is the understanding of Revised Standard Version, which renders ki as that (also New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Second, it may be the reason why Judah has been forgiven. King James Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and Bible en français courant reflect this view by rendering ki as “for” or “because.” Third, it may be an emphatic restatement of the message of comfort in the previous two lines. New American Bible has this understanding by translating ki as “Indeed.” This may be the view of Good News Translation also. Since each of these interpretations is legitimate, translators may choose any one.

There are several possible interpretations of she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. First, it may be a rhetorical exaggeration that says Yahweh has made Judah pay twice for its sins. Revised English Bible expresses this understanding with “she has received at the LORD’s hand double measure for all her sins.” Second, “receiving double” may be an idiom that refers to a settlement that is equal to the debt owed. If so, in this context it means Judah received the full amount of punishment for its sins. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch expresses this by saying “You have received from the LORD the full punishment for your offences; now all is settled!” Good News Translation is similar with “I have punished them in full for all their sins,” and so is Bible en français courant (1997) with “Because the Lord has made her pay the full price for all her sins.” Finally, double may refer to two punishments, as in 51.19, which speaks of the two tragedies of famine and military defeat. Translators are free to choose any one of these interpretations.

The people of Judah received their punishment from the LORD’s hand, which reminds them that he is ultimately behind their exile. Since the LORD is speaking here, Contemporary English Version says “I, the LORD” (similarly Good News Translation). This may be helpful in other languages.

The Hebrew word translated sins is different from the one rendered iniquity, but they are close in meaning (see the comments on 1.4). Translators can use the same word if their language does not offer a choice. Good News Translation uses the word “sins” twice.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Speak kindly to Jerusalem [and her people], announcing to her
that her time of hard work is completed,
that her sins are forgiven,
that she has received from Yahweh [or, me] double punishment for all her sins.”

• Speak kind words to the people of Jerusalem and announce
that their period of servitude is over,
that their penalty for sins has been paid,
because they have been punished twice for all their sins by the LORD.”

• Speak gently to Jerusalem’s people, telling them
that their hard work/bondage is finished,
that their sins are forgiven,
that they have received from the LORD full punishment for all their evil deeds.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .