Isaiah 9:8-21

8The Lord sends a 1message against Jacob, And it falls on Israel.9And all the people know it, That is, 2Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, Asserting in pride and in 3arrogance of heart:10“The bricks have fallen down, But we will 4rebuild 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 5Rezin And provokes their enemies,12The Arameans from the east and the 6Philistines from the west; And they 7devour Israel with 8gaping jaws. 9In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.

13Yet the people 10do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they 11seek the Lord of armies.14So the Lord cuts off 12head and tail from Israel, Both palm branch and bulrush 13in a single day.15The head is 14the elder and esteemed man, And the prophet who teaches 15falsehood is the tail.1616For those who guide this people are leading them astray; And those who are guided by them are 17confused.17Therefore the Lord does 18not rejoice over their young men, 19Nor does He have compassion on their 20orphans or their widows; For every one of them is 21godless and an 22evildoer, And every 23mouth is speaking foolishness. 24In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.

1825For 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 26wrath of the Lord of armies the 27land is burned, And the 28people are like fuel for the fire; No 29one spares his brother.2030They devour what is on the right hand but are still 31hungry, And 32they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the 33flesh of his own arm.21Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, 34And together they are against Judah. 35In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.