Isaiah 8:19-9:7

New American Standard Bible

¹⁹When 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? ²⁰To 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. ²¹They 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. ²²Then 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.
⁴For ^(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.
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 ^(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.
⁷There 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.