Isaiah 9

Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace

11But there will be no more 2gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He 3treated the 4land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the 5Gentiles.267The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.38You will multiply the nation, You 9will 10increase 11their joy; They will rejoice in Your presence As with the joy 12of harvest, As people 13rejoice when they divide the spoils.4For 14You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their 15oppressor, as 16at the battle of 17Midian.5For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.6For a 18Child will be born to us, a 19Son will be given to us; And the 20government will 21rest 22on His shoulders; And His name will be called 23Wonderful Counselor, 24Mighty God, Eternal 25Father, Prince of 26Peace.7There will be 27no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the 28throne of David and over 29his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with 30justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. 31The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.

God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance

8The Lord sends a 32message against Jacob, And it falls on Israel.9And all the people know it, That is, 33Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, Asserting in pride and in 34arrogance of heart:10“The bricks have fallen down, But we will 35rebuild with smooth stones; The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”11Therefore the Lord raises superior adversaries against them from 36Rezin And provokes their enemies,12The Arameans from the east and the 37Philistines from the west; And they 38devour Israel with 39gaping jaws. 40In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.

13Yet the people 41do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they 42seek the Lord of armies.14So the Lord cuts off 43head and tail from Israel, Both palm branch and bulrush 44in a single day.15The head is 45the elder and esteemed man, And the prophet who teaches 46falsehood is the tail.1647For those who guide this people are leading them astray; And those who are guided by them are 48confused.17Therefore the Lord does 49not rejoice over their young men, 50Nor does He have compassion on their 51orphans or their widows; For every one of them is 52godless and an 53evildoer, And every 54mouth is speaking foolishness. 55In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.

1856For wickedness burns like a fire; It consumes briars and thorns; It also sets the thickets of the forest aflame And they roll upward in a column of smoke.19By the 57wrath of the Lord of armies the 58land is burned, And the 59people are like fuel for the fire; No 60one spares his brother.2061They devour what is on the right hand but are still 62hungry, And 63they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the 64flesh of his own arm.21Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, 65And together they are against Judah. 66In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.