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Hope in the Messiah

[a]Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

[b]The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,[c]
    a light will shine.
You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,[d] Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

The Lord’s Anger against Israel

The Lord has spoken out against Jacob;
    his judgment has fallen upon Israel.
And the people of Israel[e] and Samaria,
    who spoke with such pride and arrogance,
    will soon know it.
10 They said, “We will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone,
    and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars.”

11 But the Lord will bring Rezin’s enemies against Israel
    and stir up all their foes.
12 The Syrians[f] from the east and the Philistines from the west
    will bare their fangs and devour Israel.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

13 For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent.
    They will not seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
14 Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail,
    the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.
15 The leaders of Israel are the head,
    and the lying prophets are the tail.
16 For the leaders of the people have misled them.
    They have led them down the path of destruction.
17 That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men
    and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans.
For they are all wicked hypocrites,
    and they all speak foolishness.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

18 This wickedness is like a brushfire.
    It burns not only briers and thorns
but also sets the forests ablaze.
    Its burning sends up clouds of smoke.
19 The land will be blackened
    by the fury of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
The people will be fuel for the fire,
    and no one will spare even his own brother.
20 They will attack their neighbor on the right
    but will still be hungry.
They will devour their neighbor on the left
    but will not be satisfied.
In the end they will even eat their own children.[g]
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim,
    Ephraim will feed on Manasseh,
    and both will devour Judah.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

Footnotes

  1. 9:1 Verse 9:1 is numbered 8:23 in Hebrew text.
  2. 9:2a Verses 9:2-21 are numbered 9:1-20 in Hebrew text.
  3. 9:2b Greek version reads a land where death casts its shadow. Compare Matt 4:16.
  4. 9:6 Or Wonderful, Counselor.
  5. 9:9 Hebrew of Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.
  6. 9:12 Hebrew Arameans.
  7. 9:20 Or eat their own arms.

¶ Te gen yon lè, peyi fanmi Zabilon yo ak peyi fanmi Neftali yo t'ap drive nan labou. Men pita, va rive yon lè tout rejyon an, pran depi lanmè Meditèrane rive bò larivyè Jouden, moute peyi Galile kote moun lòt nasyon yo rete a, tout rejyon an va kanpe ankò.

Pèp ki t'ap mache nan fènwa a wè yon gwo limyè. Yo te rete nan yon peyi kouvri ak fènwa. Men, koulye a yon limyè vin klere yo!

Ou fè yo vin anpil, Seyè! Ou ba yo gwo kè kontan. Yo te kontan wè sa ou fè pou yo, tankou moun k'ap fè fèt lè sezon rekòt, tankou moun k'ap fè gwo fèt lè y'ap separe sa yo pran nan lagè.

Paske ou kraze bout bwa ki te mare dèyè kou yo a, baton ki t'ap peze zepòl yo a! Wi, Seyè! Ou kraze bout fè nan men moun ki t'ap fè yo pase tray la, tankou jou lè ou te kraze moun Madyan yo!

Tout soulye sòlda ki t'ap plede fè bri yo, tout rad sòlda ki te plen san yo, yo pral boule sa nan dife.

Nou gen yon ti pitit ki fenk fèt. Bondye ban nou yon gason. Se li menm ki pral chèf nou. Y'a rele l': Bon konseye k'ap fè bèl bagay la, Bondye ki gen tout pouvwa a, Papa ki la pou tout tan an, Wa k'ap bay kè poze a!

Gouvènman li p'ap gen finisman. Nan peyi l'ap gouvènen an se va kè poze san rete. L'ap chita sou fotèy wa David la. L'ap gouvènen peyi wa David la. L'ap fè gouvènman an byen chita, l'ap ba li bon pye paske l'ap fè sa ki dwat. Li p'ap nan patipri, depi koulye a jouk sa kaba. Se Seyè ki gen tout pouvwa a ki soti pou fè tou sa rive vre!

¶ Seyè a fè konnen desizyon l' sou peyi Izrayèl la ak sou moun fanmi Jakòb yo.

Tout pèp Izrayèl la, tout moun ki rete lavil Samari yo va konn sa l' te di a. Men, yo sitèlman gen lògèy, yo sitèlman awogan, y'ap di:

10 Kay brik yo kraze, n'a bati lòt ak wòch taye. Yo koupe poto sikomò yo jete, n'a fè lòt ak bwa sèd mete nan plas yo.

11 Seyè a fè lènmi pèp Izrayèl la leve dèyè l'. L'ap fè chèf lame wa Rezen lan atake l'.

12 Peyi Lasiri sou bò solèy leve, peyi Filisti sou bò solèy kouche, y'ap devore pèp Izrayèl la ak gwo koutdan. Men, se poko sa toujou! Se atò Seyè a move. Li poko fin regle ak yo.

13 Pèp Izrayèl la pa chanje. Yo pa tounen vin jwenn moun ki t'ap pini yo a, Seyè ki gen tout pouvwa a.

14 Yon sèl jou a, Seyè a ap koupe ni tèt pèp Izrayèl la ni ke l'. L'ap pini tout chèf pèp la, gwo kou piti.

15 Chèf fanmi yo ak notab yo, se yo ki tèt pèp la. Ke a menm, se pwofèt yo, papa mantò!

16 Moun k'ap dirije pèp la fè l' pèdi chemen l'. Pèp la lage kò l' nan bwa.

17 Se poutèt sa, Seyè a p'ap pran priyè nan men jenn gason yo. L'ap san pitye pou timoun ki san papa yo ak fanm ki pèdi mari yo, paske se tout pèp la nèt ki pa gen respè pou Bondye, yo tout ap fè mechanste. Se renk move pawòl ase ki nan bouch yo. Men se poko sa toujou! Se atò Seyè a move. Li poko fin regle ak yo.

18 Mechanste kaye nan mitan pèp la, tankou dife nan pikan ak nan raje. Dife a pran nan rakbwa yo, yo tounen lafimen k'ap moute nan syèl la.

19 Seyè ki gen tout pouvwa a te sitèlman move, li fini ak peyi a. Se tankou yon dife k'ap boule tout moun nan peyi a. Pesonn pa ka sove pesonn.

20 Yo vire adwat, yo pran sa yo jwenn, yo grangou toujou. Yo vire agoch, yo devore sa yo jwenn, se atò yo grangou. Yo menm rive manje pwòp pitit yo!

21 Moun Manase yo ak moun Efrayim yo, yonn ap devore lòt. Lèfini, yo mete tèt ansanm pou atake moun Jida yo. Men, se poko sa toujou! Se atò Seyè a move. Li poko fin regle ak yo!