Isaiah 9

Isaiah

9 ¹Nevertheless there will be no more gloom for those who were in anguish. In former times he treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but afterward he will glorify Galilee of the nations, the way of the [Red][1] Sea, beyond the Jordan.

²The people who are walking in darkness have seen a great light;
those who are dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, the light has shined upon them.

³You have increased the nation;
You have magnified the rejoicing.[2]

They rejoice before You as one rejoices at harvest time,
and as they are joyful when dividing the booty,

⁴because You have shattered the yoke of their burden
and the staff of their shoulder
and the rod of their oppressor, as in the day of Midian[3].

⁵Because every soldier’s boot that tramps with a quake
and every garment rolled in blood

will be for burning,
fuel for the fire.

⁶Because to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;

and the dominion will be on His shoulder;
and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.

⁷There is no end to the increase of His dominion and peace

upon the throne of David
and upon His kingdom,

to establish it
and to sustain it

with justice
and with righteousness

from that time on
and forever.

The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will do this.

Isaiah

⁸The Lord sent [His][4] word unto Jacob,
and it fell upon Israel.

⁹And all the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,

who say in pride
and arrogance of heart,

Samaria’s people

¹⁰“Bricks have fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones;
sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”

Isaiah

¹¹Therefore the LORD strengthened Rezin’s adversaries against them
and stirs up their enemies.

¹²Aram on the east,
and the Philistines on the west;

and they will devour Israel with open mouth.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
but His hand is stretched out still.

¹³But the people did not return to Him who smote them,
neither did they seek the LORD of Hosts.

¹⁴Therefore will the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed, in one day.

¹⁵The elder, he is the head;
and a prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.

¹⁶For those who guide this people cause them to err;
and those who are led by them are confused.

¹⁷Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men,
neither has compassion on their orphans and widows;

for everyone [of them][5] is godless and evil,
and every mouth speaks folly.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
but His hand is stretched out still.

¹⁸For wickedness burns as a fire;
it will devour the briars and thorns,

and will kindle the thickets of the forests,
and they will rise in a column of smoke.

¹⁹Through the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land grew dark,
and the people will be like fuel for fire.

No man will spare his brother.
²⁰And he will snatch on the right hand but be hungry,
and he will eat on the left hand, but will not be satisfied;

each will eat the flesh of his own arm.

²¹Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh;
together they will be against Judah.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
but His hand is stretched out still.

10 ¹Woe to those who decree iniquitous laws
and who constantly write oppressive decrees,

²to turn away the needy from their legal claim
and to rob justice from the poor of my people,

that widows may be their spoil
and that they may plunder orphans.

³And what will you do in the day of visitation,
and in the disaster that will come from afar?

To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth?

⁴Nothing remains but to crouch under the prisoners
or to fall under the slain.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
but His hand is stretched out still.