Isaiah 9:2-7
New American Standard Bible
2 [a](A)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 (B)You will multiply the nation,
You (C)will [b]increase [c]their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy [d]of harvest,
As people (D)rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For (E)You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (F)oppressor, as [e]at the battle of (G)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 (H)Child will be born to us, a (I)Son will be given to us;
And the (J)government will [f]rest (K)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (L)Wonderful Counselor, (M)Mighty God,
Eternal (N)Father, Prince of (O)Peace.
7 There will be (P)no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the (Q)throne of David and over [g]his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (R)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(S)The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
Footnotes
- 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
Isaiah 9:2-7
The Message
2-7 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation,
you expanded its joy.
Oh, they’re so glad in your presence!
Festival joy!
The joy of a great celebration,
sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—
all their whips and clubs and curses—
Is gone, done away with, a deliverance
as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian.
The boots of all those invading troops,
along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned,
a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us!
the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
Strong God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He’ll rule from the historic David throne
over that promised kingdom.
He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing
and keep it going
With fair dealing and right living,
beginning now and lasting always.
The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
will do all this.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson