Isaiah 8:19-10:4

English Standard Version Anglicised

^{2 [e] (K)}The people ^(L)who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of ^(M)deep darkness,
    on them has light shined.
^3 (N)You have multiplied the nation;
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with ^(O)joy at the harvest,
    as they ^(P)are glad ^(Q)when they divide the spoil.
^4 (R)For the yoke of his burden,
    ^(S)and the staff for his shoulder,
    the rod of his oppressor,
    you have broken as ^(T)on the day of Midian.
^5 (U)For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.
^6 (V)For to us a child is born,
    to us ^(W)a son is given;
^(X)and the government shall be ^(Y)upon^[f] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called^[g]
Wonderful ^(Z)Counsellor, ^(AA)Mighty God,
    ^(AB)Everlasting ^(AC)Father, Prince of ^(AD)Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace
    ^(AE)there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
^(AF)with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and for evermore.
^(AG)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

⁸ The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
    and it will fall on Israel;
⁹ and all the people will know,
    ^(AH)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
    who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
¹⁰ “The bricks have fallen,
    but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
    but we will put cedars in their place.”
¹¹ But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
    and stirs up his enemies.
^12 (AI)The Syrians on the east and ^(AJ)the Philistines on the west
    devour Israel with open mouth.
^(AK)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.
¹³ The people ^(AL)did not turn to him who struck them,
    nor enquire of the Lord of hosts.
¹⁴ So the Lord cut off from Israel ^(AM)head and tail,
    palm branch and reed in one day—
^15 (AN)the elder and honoured man is the head,
    and ^(AO)the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
¹⁶ for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
    and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
¹⁷ Therefore the Lord does not ^(AP)rejoice over their young men,
    and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is ^(AQ)godless and an evildoer,
    and every mouth speaks ^(AR)folly.^[h]
(AS)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.
¹⁸ For wickedness burns like ^(AT)a fire;
    it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
    and they roll upwards in a column of smoke.
¹⁹ Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
    the land is scorched,
and ^(AU)the people are like fuel for the fire;
    ^(AV)no one spares another.
^20 (AW)They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
    and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
^(AX)each devours the flesh of his own arm,
²¹ Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
    together they are ^(AY)against Judah.
^(AZ)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.
10 Woe to those who ^(BA)decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who ^(BB)keep writing oppression,
² to turn aside the needy from justice
    and ^(BC)to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
    and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
³ What will you do on ^(BD)the day of punishment,
    in the ruin that will come ^(BE)from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
⁴ Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
    or fall among the slain.
^(BF)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.