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Isaiah 8:19-9:7
New King James Version
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
New King James Version
19 And when they say to you, (A)“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, (B)who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they (C)seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (D)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (E)there[a] is no light in them.
21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and (F)curse [b]their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
The Government of the Promised Son(G)
9 Nevertheless (H)the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at (I)first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And (J)afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 (K)The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And [c]increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice (L)when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of (M)Midian.
5 For every warrior’s [d]sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
(N)Will be used for burning and fuel [e]of fire.
6 (O)For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a (P)Son is given;
And (Q)the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
(R)Wonderful, Counselor, (S)Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, (T)Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
(U)There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The (V)zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
- Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God
- Isaiah 9:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., Vg. not increased joy; LXX Most of the people You brought down in Your joy
- Isaiah 9:5 boot
- Isaiah 9:5 for the fire
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
Good News Translation
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
Good News Translation
19 But people will tell you to ask for messages from fortunetellers and mediums, who chirp and mutter. They will say, “After all, people should ask for messages from the spirits and consult the dead on behalf of the living.”
20 You are to answer them, “Listen to what the Lord is teaching you! Don't listen to mediums—what they tell you cannot keep trouble away.”[a]
A Time of Trouble
21 The people will wander through the land, discouraged and hungry. In their hunger and their anger they will curse their king and their God. They may look up to the sky 22 or stare at the ground, but they will see nothing but trouble and darkness, terrifying darkness into which they are being driven.
9 (A)There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
The Future King
The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2 (B)The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
They lived in a land of shadows,
but now light is shining on them.
3 You have given them great joy,[b] Lord;
you have made them happy.
They rejoice in what you have done,
as people rejoice when they harvest grain
or when they divide captured wealth.
4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened them
and the rod that beat their shoulders.
You have defeated the nation
that oppressed and exploited your people,
just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.
5 The boots of the invading army
and all their bloodstained clothing
will be destroyed by fire.
6 A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful[c] Counselor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.”
7 (C)His royal power will continue to grow;
his kingdom will always be at peace.
He will rule as King David's successor,
basing his power on right and justice,
from now until the end of time.
The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:20 Verse 20 in Hebrew is unclear.
- Isaiah 9:3 Probable text You have given them great joy; Hebrew You have increased the nation.
- Isaiah 9:6 Wonderful; or Wise.
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
New International Version
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
New International Version
The Darkness Turns to Light
19 When someone tells you to consult(A) mediums and spiritists,(B) who whisper and mutter,(C) should not a people inquire(D) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction(E) and the testimony of warning.(F) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(G) of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry,(H) they will roam through the land;(I) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse(J) their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,(K) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.(L)
9 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom(M) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,(N) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness(O)
have seen a great light;(P)
on those living in the land of deep darkness(Q)
a light has dawned.(R)
3 You have enlarged the nation(S)
and increased their joy;(T)
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.(U)
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,(V)
you have shattered(W)
the yoke(X) that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,(Y)
the rod of their oppressor.(Z)
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(AA)
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,(AB)
to us a son is given,(AC)
and the government(AD) will be on his shoulders.(AE)
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,(AF) Mighty God,(AG)
Everlasting(AH) Father,(AI) Prince of Peace.(AJ)
7 Of the greatness of his government(AK) and peace(AL)
there will be no end.(AM)
He will reign(AN) on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice(AO) and righteousness(AP)
from that time on and forever.(AQ)
The zeal(AR) of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 8:19-9:7
New American Standard Bible
19 When they say to you, “(A)Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should a people not (B)consult their God? Should they (C)consult the dead in behalf of the living? 20 To the [a](D)Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak in accordance with this word, it is because (E)they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through [b]the land (F)dejected and hungry, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will become enraged and curse [c]their king and their God as they face upward. 22 Then they will (G)look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be (H)driven away into darkness.
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
9 [d]But there will be no more (I)gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He (J)treated the (K)land 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 [e]Gentiles.
2 [f](L)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 (M)You will multiply the nation,
You (N)will [g]increase [h]their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy [i]of harvest,
As people (O)rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For (P)You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (Q)oppressor, as [j]at the battle of (R)Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a (S)Child will be born to us, a (T)Son will be given to us;
And the (U)government will [k]rest (V)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (W)Wonderful Counselor, (X)Mighty God,
Eternal (Y)Father, Prince of (Z)Peace.
7 There will be (AA)no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the (AB)throne of David and over [l]his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (AC)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(AD)The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:20 Or teaching
- Isaiah 8:21 Lit it
- Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king
- Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:1 Or nations
- Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:3 Another reading is not increase
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit the
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit in
- Isaiah 9:4 Lit in the day of Midian
- Isaiah 9:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 9:7 I.e., David’s
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.