Add parallel Print Page Options

[a]But there will be no more (A)gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He (B)treated the (C)land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the [b]Gentiles.

[c](D)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in the land of the shadow of death,
The light will shine on them.
(E)You shall multiply the nation,
You (F)shall [d]make great [e]their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness [f]of harvest,
As [g](G)men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For (H)You shall shatter the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (I)taskmaster, as [h]at the battle of (J)Midian.
For every boot of the booted warrior in the rumbling of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a (K)child will be born to us, a (L)son will be given to us;
And the (M)government will [i]rest (N)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (O)Wonderful Counselor, (P)Mighty God,
Eternal (Q)Father, Prince of (R)Peace.
There will be (S)no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the (T)throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (U)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(V)The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.

Yahweh’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance

The Lord sends a [j]message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
And all the people know it,
That is, (W)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Saying in lofty pride and in (X)arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will (Y)rebuild with cut stones;
The sycamores have been cut in pieces,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore Yahweh exalts against them adversaries from (Z)Rezin
And incites their enemies,
12 The Arameans on the east and the (AA)Philistines on the west;
And they (AB)devour Israel with [k]gaping jaws.
(AC)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn back,
And His hand is still stretched out.

13 Yet the people (AD)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (AE)seek Yahweh of hosts.
14 So Yahweh cuts off (AF)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (AG)in a single day.
15 The head is (AH)the elder and the [l]highly respected man,
And the prophet who teaches (AI)falsehood is the tail.
16 (AJ)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [m]brought to confusion.
17 Therefore the Lord (AK)is not glad in their choice men,
(AL)Nor does He have compassion on their [n]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (AM)godless and an (AN)evildoer,
And every (AO)mouth is speaking wicked foolishness.
(AP)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn back,
And His hand is still stretched out.

18 (AQ)For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame,
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the (AR)fury of Yahweh of hosts the (AS)land is burned up,
And the (AT)people are like fuel for the fire;
No (AU)man spares his brother.
20 [o]They slice off what is on the right hand but still are (AV)hungry,
And [p]they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the (AW)flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
(AX)And together they are against Judah.
(AY)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn back,
And His hand is still stretched out.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
  2. Isaiah 9:1 Or nations
  3. Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
  4. Isaiah 9:3 M.T. not increase
  5. Isaiah 9:3 Lit the
  6. Isaiah 9:3 Lit in
  7. Isaiah 9:3 Lit they
  8. Isaiah 9:4 Lit in the day of Midian
  9. Isaiah 9:6 Lit be
  10. Isaiah 9:8 Lit word
  11. Isaiah 9:12 Lit the whole mouth
  12. Isaiah 9:15 Lit the one whose face is lifted up
  13. Isaiah 9:16 Or swallowed up
  14. Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless
  15. Isaiah 9:20 Lit he slices
  16. Isaiah 9:20 Lit he eats

The Prince of Peace

[a]But there will be no gloom for her who was[b] in distress. Formerly, he brought contempt to the region of Zebulun and the region of Naphtali, but in the future[c] he will have made glorious the way of the sea, the territory beyond the Jordan—Galilee of the nations.[d]

[e]The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
for those living in a land of deep darkness,
    a light has shined upon them.
You have increased the nation;
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice in your presence
    as they rejoice at the harvest,
as they are glad
    when they’re dividing the spoils of war.[f]
Now as to the yoke that has been[g] his burden,
    and the bar laid[h] on his shoulder—
the rod of his oppressor—
    you have broken it[i] as on the day of Midiam.[j]
For every boot of the tramping soldier in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
        will be used for burning as fuel for a fire.
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
    and his name is[k] called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the growth of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will rule[l] over his kingdom,
    sitting on the throne of David,
to establish it and to uphold it[m]
    with justice and righteousness
        from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

A Rebuke to Jacob and Israel

“The Lord[n] has sent a plague[o] against Jacob,
    and it will fall on Israel;
and all of the people were evil[p]
    Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
        saying proudly with arrogant hearts:
10 ‘The bricks have fallen,
    but we will build with dressed[q] stones;
the sycamore[r] trees have been cut down,
    but we will replace them with cedars.’[s]
11 But the Lord has raised adversaries[t] from Rezin[u] against him,
    and he stirs up his enemies—
12 Arameans from the east
    and Philistines from the west—
and they devour Israel with open mouths!

“Yet[v] for all this, his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.”[w]

Judgment for Not Repenting

13 “But the people have not returned to rely[x] on[y] him who struck them,
    nor have they sought the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
14 So the Lord has cut off from Israel head and tail,
    palm branch and reed
        in[z] a single day—
15 the elder and the dignitary is the head,
    and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.
16 For those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
    and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not have pity on[aa] their young men,
    and has no compassion on their orphans[ab] and widows,
because each of them was godless and an evildoer,
    and every mouth spoke folly.

“Yet[ac] for all this, his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.[ad]

18 “For wickedness has burned like a blaze
    that consumes briers and thorns;
it sets thickets of the forest on fire,
    and skyward[ae] they swirl
        in a column of smoke.
19 From[af] the wrath of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies
    the land has been scorched,
and the people have become like fuel for the fire;
        no one will spare his neighbor.
20 They cut meat on the right,
    but they’re still hungry,
and they devour also[ag] on the left,
    but they’re not satisfied;
        each devours the flesh of his own children.[ah]
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim,
    and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they are against Judah.

“Yet[ai] for all this, his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.”[aj]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:1 This v. is 8:23 in the MT
  2. Isaiah 9:1 So DSS; MT reads those who were
  3. Isaiah 9:1 So DSS; MT reads the latter time
  4. Isaiah 9:1 Or gentiles
  5. Isaiah 9:2 This v. is 9:1 in the MT
  6. Isaiah 9:3 1QIsaa MT lack of war
  7. Isaiah 9:4 Lit. yoke of
  8. Isaiah 9:4 DSS The Heb. lacks laid
  9. Isaiah 9:4 1QIsaa MT lack it
  10. Isaiah 9:4 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads Midian; cf. Judg 7:8-25 2King 15:19; 16:8
  11. Isaiah 9:6 So 1QIsaa; MT 4QIsac read name will be
  12. Isaiah 9:7 DSS MT lack He will rule
  13. Isaiah 9:7 So 1QIsaa, referring to the throne; MT reads it, referring to the kingdom
  14. Isaiah 9:8 So 1QIsaa; MT reads Lord
  15. Isaiah 9:8 So LXX; MT reads word; 1QIsaa can mean plague or word.
  16. Isaiah 9:9 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read knew
  17. Isaiah 9:10 Or quarried
  18. Isaiah 9:10 The sycamore fruit tree native to Israel bears figs
  19. Isaiah 9:10 I.e. a genus of coniferous evergreen in the family Pinaceae
  20. Isaiah 9:11 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; other MT mss. read princes
  21. Isaiah 9:11 So 1QIsaa MT; LXX lacks from Rezin
  22. Isaiah 9:12 So 1QIsaa 4QIsac; the Heb. lacks Yet
  23. Isaiah 9:12 DSS MT lack ready to strike
  24. Isaiah 9:13 1QIsaa MT LXX lack to rely
  25. Isaiah 9:13 So 1QIsaa; MT reads toward; LXX reads until
  26. Isaiah 9:14 So 1QIsaa LXX; the The Heb. lacks in
  27. Isaiah 9:17 So 1QIsaa;MT LXX read rejoice over
  28. Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless
  29. Isaiah 9:17 So 1QIsaa 4QIsac; the Heb. lacks Yet
  30. Isaiah 9:17 DSS MT lack ready to strike
  31. Isaiah 9:18 Lit. upward
  32. Isaiah 9:19 So 1QIsaa; MT reads By
  33. Isaiah 9:20 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lacks also
  34. Isaiah 9:20 So 4QIsae; or arms; 1QIsaa MT read offspring or arm; LXX reads arm
  35. Isaiah 9:21 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack Yet
  36. Isaiah 9:21 DSS MT lack ready to strike

[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