Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

And in that day they will roar against them (Judah) like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, in fact, there is darkness and distress; Even the light will be darkened by its clouds.

Then they will look to the earth, they will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness and overwhelming night.

The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness Will see a great Light; Those who live in the dark land, The Light will shine on them.

On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see [the words of the book].

To open the eyes of the blind, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who sit in darkness from the prison.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know; I will guide them in paths that they do not know. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These things I will do [for them], And I will not leave them abandoned or undone.”

“I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures] And the hidden riches of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing peace and creating disaster; I am the Lord who does all these things.

“I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright.

“Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you will no longer be called The queen of kingdoms.

Saying to those who are bound and captured, ‘Go forth,’ And to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, ‘Show yourselves [come into the light of the Savior].’ They will feed along the roads [on which they travel], And their pastures will be on all the bare heights.

Who is among you who fears the Lord, Who obeys the voice of His Servant, Yet who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust and be confident in the name of the Lord and let him rely on his God.

And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry And satisfy the need of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.

A Confession of Wickedness

Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us. We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness; We hope for gleam of light, but we walk in darkness and gloom.

“For in fact, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness will cover the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you [Jerusalem] And His glory and brilliance will be seen on you.