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The Coming King

Nevertheless there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time He contemptuously treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
    upon them the light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation
    and increased the joy;
they rejoice before You
    according to the joy of harvest
and as men rejoice
    when they divide the spoil.
For You have broken the yoke of his burden
    and the bar of his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor
    as in the day of Midian’s defeat.
For all the sandals of the tramping warriors
    and all the garments rolled in blood
    shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For unto us a child is born,
    unto us a son is given,
    and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And his name shall be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
    there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David
    and over his kingdom,
to order it and to establish it
    with justice and with righteousness,
    from now until forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts
    will perform this.

The Message Against Israel

The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
    and it falls upon Israel.
All the people shall know,
    even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in the pride
    and stoutness of heart,
10 “The bricks are fallen down,
    but we will build 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 join his enemies together.
12 The Arameans shall be before and the Philistines behind;
    and they shall devour Israel with open jaws.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
    and His hand is stretched out still.

13 For the people do not turn to Him who struck them,
    nor do they seek the Lord of Hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail,
    branch and bulrush, in one day.
15 The elder and honorable man, he is the head;
    and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
    and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men,
    nor shall He have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
for every one of them is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
    and every mouth speaks folly.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
    and His hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burns as a fire;
    it shall devour the briers and thorns,
and shall ignite in the thickets of the forest,
    and they shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of Hosts
    is the land burned up,
and the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
    no man shall spare his brother.
20 They shall snatch on the right hand,
    but still be hungry;
and they shall eat on the left hand,
    and shall not be satisfied;
every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21     Manasseh consumes Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh,
    and they together shall be against Judah.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
    and His hand is stretched out still.

[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)

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