Isaiah 9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 9
1 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
Upon those who lived in a land of gloom
a light has shone.(A)
2 You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing;
They rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest,
as they exult when dividing the spoils.
3 For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
The rod of their taskmaster,
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.[a](B)
4 For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for fire.(C)
5 For a child[b] is born to us, a son is given to us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,(D)
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
6 His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
Upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
By judgment and justice,
both now and forever.(E)
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!
Judgment on the Northern Kingdom[c]
7 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it falls upon Israel;
8 And all the people know it—
Ephraim and those who dwell in Samaria—
those who say in arrogance and pride of heart,
9 “Bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with cut stone;
Sycamores have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”(F)
10 So the Lord raises up their foes against them
and stirs up their enemies to action—
11 Aram[d] from the east and the Philistines from the west—
they devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this, his wrath is not turned back,
and his hand is still outstretched!
12 The people do not turn back to the one who struck them,
nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
13 So the Lord cuts off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day.(G)
14 (The elder and the noble are the head,
the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.)(H)
15 Those who lead this people lead them astray,
and those who are led are swallowed up.(I)
16 That is why the Lord does not spare their young men,
and their orphans and widows he does not pity;
For they are totally impious and wicked,
and every mouth speaks folly.
For all this, his wrath is not turned back,
his hand is still outstretched!
17 For wickedness burns like fire,
devouring brier and thorn;
It kindles the forest thickets,
which go up in columns of smoke.(J)
18 At the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land quakes,
and the people are like fuel for fire;
no one spares his brother.(K)
19 They hack on the right, but remain hungry;
they devour on the left, but are not filled.
Each devours the flesh of the neighbor;
20 Manasseh devours Ephraim,[e] and Ephraim Manasseh,
together they turn on Judah.
For all this, his wrath is not turned back,
his hand is still outstretched!
Footnotes
- 9:3 Day of Midian: when God used the judge Gideon to deliver these northern territories from Midianite oppression (Jgs 6–7).
- 9:5 A child: perhaps to be identified with the Emmanuel of 7:14 and 8:8; cf. 11:1–2, 9. This verse may reflect a coronation rather than a birth. Upon his shoulder: the reference may be to a particular act in the ritual in which a symbol of the king’s authority was placed on his shoulder (cf. 2 Kgs 11:12; Is 22:22).
- 9:7–20 + 5:25–30 These verses describe a series of judgments God sent against the Northern Kingdom of Israel because of its sins. Despite the judgments, however, Israel continued to rebel, and God’s anger remained unabated, as the recurring refrain emphasizes (9:11, 16, 20). The refrain ties Is 9:7–20 together as a unit, but 9:20 is far too abrupt to be the original conclusion to the oracle. With its series of past judgments and repeated refrain, the oracle resembles Am 4:6–12; by analogy with that model one expects a conclusion in which the prophet turns from the narration of past judgments to the announcement of a future judgment. Is 5:25–30 fits the pattern found in 9:7–20 and provides a suitable and possibly original conclusion for the whole oracle.
- 9:11 Aram: the Syrian kingdom, with its capital at Damascus.
- 9:20 Manasseh…Ephraim: two of the leading tribes of the Northern Kingdom. The reference is to the civil wars that marked the final decades of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kgs 15:10, 14–16, 25; cf. Hos 7:3–7).
Isaiah 9
New King James Version
The Government of the Promised Son(A)
9 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.
2 (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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 (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.
7 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
8 The Lord sent a word against (Q)Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 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.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., Vg. not increased joy; LXX Most of the people You brought down in Your joy
- Isaiah 9:5 boot
- Isaiah 9:5 for the fire
- Isaiah 9:12 In judgment
- Isaiah 9:17 foolishness
- Isaiah 9:20 slice off or tear
Jesaja 9
Hoffnung für Alle
9 Das Volk, das in der Finsternis lebt, sieht ein großes Licht; hell strahlt es auf über denen, die ohne Hoffnung sind. 2 Du, Herr, machst Israel wieder zu einem großen Volk und schenkst ihnen überströmende Freude. Sie sind fröhlich wie nach einer reichen Ernte; sie jubeln wie nach einem Sieg, wenn die Beute verteilt wird. 3 So wie du Israel damals aus der Gewalt der Midianiter gerettet hast, so befreist du sie dann von der schweren Last der Fremdherrschaft. Du zerbrichst die Peitsche, mit der sie zur Zwangsarbeit getrieben werden. 4 Die Soldatenstiefel, die beim Marschieren so laut dröhnen, und all die blutverschmierten Kampfgewänder werden ins Feuer geworfen und verbrannt.
5 Denn uns ist ein Kind geboren! Ein Sohn ist uns geschenkt! Er wird die Herrschaft übernehmen. Man nennt ihn »Wunderbarer Ratgeber«, »Starker Gott«, »Ewiger Vater«, »Friedensfürst«. 6 Er wird seine Herrschaft weit ausdehnen und dauerhaften Frieden bringen. Auf dem Thron Davids wird er regieren und sein Reich auf Recht und Gerechtigkeit gründen, jetzt und für alle Zeit. Der Herr, der allmächtige Gott, wird dies eintreffen lassen, leidenschaftlich verfolgt er sein Ziel.
Der Zorn des Herrn hat sich noch nicht gelegt
7 Der Herr hat ein hartes Urteil über die Nachkommen von Jakob verhängt. Das Reich Israel wird es zu spüren bekommen, 8 ja, es wird die Bewohner von Israel und die Einwohner Samarias treffen. Voller Hochmut prahlen sie: 9 »Unsere Häuser aus Ziegelsteinen sind zwar zerstört, doch nun bauen wir uns neue aus Quadersteinen. Die knorrigen Maulbeerbäume wurden alle gefällt. Was soll’s, wir pflanzen Zedern dafür an!« 10 Darum hat der Herr die Feinde von König Rezin stark gemacht und sie gegen Israel zum Krieg angestachelt. 11 Die Syrer sind von Osten her ins Land eingefallen, und die Philister griffen von Westen an. Sie stürzten sich mit weit aufgerissenem Maul auf Israel und verschlangen ganze Stücke davon. Aber trotz allem hat sich Gottes Zorn nicht gelegt; noch ist seine strafende Hand erhoben.
12 Der Herr, der allmächtige Gott, bestraft sein Volk hart, aber es kehrt nicht zu ihm zurück, ja, es fragt nicht einmal nach ihm. 13-14 Darum wird der Herr an ein und demselben Tag Kopf und Schwanz von Israel abschlagen. Der Kopf, das sind die Führer des Volkes, die angesehenen Männer und Sippenoberhäupter; der Schwanz, das sind die angeblichen Propheten mit ihren falschen Weissagungen. Wie man die obersten Zweige der Palmen und die Binsen im Sumpf abschneidet, so wird Gott an einem Tag das ganze Volk vernichten. 15 Denn die Führer dieses Volkes sind nichts als Verführer. Wer sich ihnen anvertraut, wird in die Irre geleitet. 16 Darum verschont der Herr die jungen Männer nicht und hat kein Mitleid mit den Witwen und Waisen. Denn sie alle haben sich gegen ihn aufgelehnt, ihr ganzes Leben besteht aus Lug und Betrug. Aber noch hat sich Gottes Zorn nicht gelegt; noch ist seine strafende Hand erhoben.
17 Durch ihre Gottlosigkeit sprechen sie sich selbst das Urteil. Ihre Bosheit gleicht einer lodernden Flamme, die Unkraut und Dornensträucher verzehrt und das dichte Unterholz im Wald in Brand steckt, bis schwarze Rauchsäulen aufsteigen. 18 In seinem glühenden Zorn denkt der Herr, der allmächtige Gott, gar nicht daran, dieses Feuer einzudämmen. Zurück bleibt ein zerstörtes Land, ein Land, in dem jeder gegen jeden kämpft. Niemand kümmert sich um den anderen, 19 jeder will nur seinen Hunger stillen. Gierig und rücksichtslos fällt man über alles Essbare her und wird trotzdem nicht satt. Am Ende zerfleischen sie sich gegenseitig: 20 Die Leute vom Stamm Manasse stürzen sich auf den Stamm Ephraim, die von Ephraim gehen auf Manasse los, und zusammen fallen sie über Juda her. Und immer noch ist Gottes Zorn nicht gestillt; drohend schwebt seine Hand über diesem Volk.
Isaiah 9
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
9 But [in the midst of judgment there is the promise and the certainty of the Lord’s deliverance and] there shall be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time [the Lord] brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He will make it glorious, by the way of the Sea [of Galilee, the land] beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined.(A)
3 You [O Lord] have multiplied the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before You like the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of battle].
4 For the yoke of [Israel’s] burden, and the staff or rod for [goading] their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, You have broken as in the day of [Gideon with] Midian.(B)
5 For every [tramping] warrior’s war boots and all his armor in the battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace.(C)
7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from the [latter] time forth, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.(D)
8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob [the ten tribes], and it has lighted upon Israel [the ten tribes, the kingdom of Ephraim].
9 And all the people shall know it—even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria [its capital]—who said in pride and stoutness of heart,
10 The bricks have fallen, but we will build [all the better] with hewn stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put [costlier] cedars in their place.
11 Therefore the Lord has stirred up the adversaries [the Assyrians] of Rezin [king of Syria] against [Ephraim], and He will stir up their enemies and arm and join them together,
12 The Syrians [compelled to fight with their enemies, going] before [on the east] and the Philistines behind [on the west]; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, [God’s] anger is not [then] turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
13 Yet the people turn not to Him Who smote them, neither do they seek [inquire for or require as their vital need] the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail [the highest and the lowest]—[high] palm branch and [low] rush in one day;
15 The elderly and honored man, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For they who lead this people cause them to err, and they who are led [astray] by them are swallowed up (destroyed).
17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will He have compassion on their fatherless and widows, for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this, [God’s] anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
18 For wickedness burns like a fire; it devours the briers and thorns, and it kindles in the thickets of the forest; they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is darkened and burned up, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no man spares his brother.
20 They snatch in discord on the right hand, but are still hungry [their cruelty not diminished]; and they devour and destroy on the left hand, but are not satisfied. Each devours and destroys his own flesh [and blood] or his neighbor’s.
21 Manasseh [thirsts for the blood of his brother] Ephraim, and Ephraim [for that of] Manasseh; but together they are against Judah. For all this, [God’s] anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Hoffnung für Alle® (Hope for All) Copyright © 1983, 1996, 2002 by Biblica, Inc.®
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