The Government of the Promised Son(A)

Nevertheless (B)the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at (C)first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And (D)afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
(E)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.

You have multiplied the nation
And [a]increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice (F)when they divide the spoil.
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 (G)Midian.
For every warrior’s [b]sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
(H)Will be used for burning and fuel [c]of fire.

(I)For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a (J)Son is given;
And (K)the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
(L)Wonderful, Counselor, (M)Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, (N)Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
(O)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 (P)zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The Punishment of Samaria

The Lord sent a word against (Q)Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is [d]stretched out still.

13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush (R)in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For (S)the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord (T)will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks [e]folly.

(U)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness (V)burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
(W)The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
(X)No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall [f]snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
(Y)And not be satisfied;
(Z)Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be (AA)against Judah.

(AB)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

Assyria Shall Be Broken

10 “Woe to those who (AC)decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.
(AD)What will you do in (AE)the day of punishment,
And in the desolation which will come from (AF)afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your glory?
Without Me they shall bow down among the (AG)prisoners,
And they shall fall [g]among the slain.”

(AH)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

Arrogant Assyria Also Judged

“Woe to Assyria, (AI)the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
I will send him against (AJ)an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will (AK)give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
(AL)Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
(AM)For he says,
Are not my princes altogether kings?
Is not (AN)Calno (AO)like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria (AP)like Damascus?
10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ”

12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has [h]performed all His work (AQ)on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, (AR)“I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.”

13 (AS)For he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries;
So I have put down the inhabitants like a [i]valiant man.
14 (AT)My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people,
And as one gathers eggs that are left,
I have gathered all the earth;
And there was no one who moved his wing,
Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”

15 Shall (AU)the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord, the [j]Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire.
17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
(AV)It will burn and devour
His thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of (AW)his fruitful field,
Both soul and body;
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest
Will be so few in number
That a child may write them.

The Returning Remnant of Israel

20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
(AX)Will never again depend on him who [k]defeated them,
But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the (AY)Mighty God.
22 (AZ)For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
(BA)A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 (BB)For the Lord God of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in Zion, (BC)do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of (BD)Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while (BE)and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.” 26 And the Lord of hosts will [l]stir up (BF)a scourge for him like the slaughter of (BG)Midian at the rock of Oreb; (BH)as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.

27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of (BI)the anointing oil.

28 He has come to Aiath,
He has passed Migron;
At Michmash he has attended to his equipment.
29 They have gone [m]along (BJ)the ridge,
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
(BK)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 [n]Lift up your voice,
O daughter (BL)of Gallim!
Cause it to be heard as far as (BM)Laish—
[o]O poor Anathoth!
31 (BN)Madmenah has fled,
The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.
32 As yet he will remain (BO)at Nob that day;
He will (BP)shake his fist at the mount of (BQ)the daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord,
The Lord of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
(BR)Those of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., Vg. not increased joy; LXX Most of the people You brought down in Your joy
  2. Isaiah 9:5 boot
  3. Isaiah 9:5 for the fire
  4. Isaiah 9:12 In judgment
  5. Isaiah 9:17 foolishness
  6. Isaiah 9:20 slice off or tear
  7. Isaiah 10:4 Lit. under
  8. Isaiah 10:12 completed
  9. Isaiah 10:13 mighty
  10. Isaiah 10:16 So with Bg.; MT, DSS YHWH (the Lord)
  11. Isaiah 10:20 Lit. struck
  12. Isaiah 10:26 arouse
  13. Isaiah 10:29 Or over the pass
  14. Isaiah 10:30 Or Cry shrilly
  15. Isaiah 10:30 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX, Syr. Listen to her, O Anathoth

[a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom(A) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,(B) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness(C)
    have seen a great light;(D)
on those living in the land of deep darkness(E)
    a light has dawned.(F)
You have enlarged the nation(G)
    and increased their joy;(H)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.(I)
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,(J)
    you have shattered(K)
the yoke(L) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,(M)
    the rod of their oppressor.(N)
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(O)
    will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,(P)
    to us a son is given,(Q)
    and the government(R) will be on his shoulders.(S)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,(T) Mighty God,(U)
    Everlasting(V) Father,(W) Prince of Peace.(X)
Of the greatness of his government(Y) and peace(Z)
    there will be no end.(AA)
He will reign(AB) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice(AC) and righteousness(AD)
    from that time on and forever.(AE)
The zeal(AF) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

The Lord has sent a message(AG) against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
All the people will know it—
    Ephraim(AH) and the inhabitants of Samaria(AI)
who say with pride
    and arrogance(AJ) of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;(AK)
the fig(AL) trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.(AM)
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s(AN) foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans(AO) from the east and Philistines(AP) from the west
    have devoured(AQ) Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger(AR) is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(AS)

13 But the people have not returned(AT) to him who struck(AU) them,
    nor have they sought(AV) the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed(AW) in a single day;(AX)
15 the elders(AY) and dignitaries(AZ) are the head,
    the prophets(BA) who teach lies(BB) are the tail.
16 Those who guide(BC) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.(BD)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,(BE)
    nor will he pity(BF) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly(BG) and wicked,(BH)
    every mouth speaks folly.(BI)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(BJ)

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;(BK)
    it consumes briers and thorns,(BL)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,(BM)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath(BN) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched(BO)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;(BP)
    they will not spare one another.(BQ)
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;(BR)
on the left they will eat,(BS)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[b]:
21     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;(BT)
    together they will turn against Judah.(BU)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(BV)

10 Woe(BW) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(BX)
to deprive(BY) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(BZ)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.(CA)
What will you do on the day of reckoning,(CB)
    when disaster(CC) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?(CD)
    Where will you leave your riches?
Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives(CE)
    or fall among the slain.(CF)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(CG)
    his hand is still upraised.

God’s Judgment on Assyria

“Woe(CH) to the Assyrian,(CI) the rod(CJ) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club(CK) of my wrath!(CL)
I send him against a godless(CM) nation,
    I dispatch(CN) him against a people who anger me,(CO)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(CP)
    and to trample(CQ) them down like mud in the streets.
But this is not what he intends,(CR)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
‘Are not my commanders(CS) all kings?’ he says.
    ‘Has not Kalno(CT) fared like Carchemish?(CU)
Is not Hamath(CV) like Arpad,(CW)
    and Samaria(CX) like Damascus?(CY)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(CZ)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?(DA)’”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work(DB) against Mount Zion(DC) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria(DD) for the willful pride(DE) of his heart and the haughty look(DF) in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand(DG) I have done this,(DH)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;(DI)
    like a mighty one I subdued[c] their kings.(DJ)
14 As one reaches into a nest,(DK)
    so my hand reached for the wealth(DL) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;(DM)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.(DN)’”

15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?(DO)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club(DP) brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease(DQ) upon his sturdy warriors;(DR)
under his pomp(DS) a fire(DT) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,(DU)
    their Holy One(DV) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns(DW) and his briers.(DX)
18 The splendor of his forests(DY) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,(DZ)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(EA) will be so few(EB)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

20 In that day(EC) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors(ED) of Jacob,
will no longer rely(EE) on him
    who struck them down(EF)
but will truly rely(EG) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.(EH)
21 A remnant(EI) will return,[d](EJ) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.(EK)
22 Though your people be like the sand(EL) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.(EM)
Destruction has been decreed,(EN)
    overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed(EO) upon the whole land.(EP)

24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,(EQ)
    do not be afraid(ER) of the Assyrians,
who beat(ES) you with a rod(ET)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon(EU) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath(EV) will be directed to their destruction.(EW)

26 The Lord Almighty will lash(EX) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian(EY) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff(EZ) over the waters,(FA)
    as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day(FB) their burden(FC) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke(FD) from your neck;(FE)
the yoke(FF) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.[e]

28 They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;(FG)
    they store supplies(FH) at Mikmash.(FI)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.(FJ)
Ramah(FK) trembles;
    Gibeah(FL) of Saul flees.(FM)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(FN)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!(FO)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;(FP)
    they will shake their fist(FQ)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,(FR)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off(FS) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,(FT)
    the tall(FU) ones will be brought low.(FV)
34 He will cut down(FW) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon(FX) will fall before the Mighty One.(FY)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
  2. Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
  3. Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
  4. Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
  5. Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders