Isaiah 9
Names of God Bible
9 [a]But there will be no more gloom
for the land that is in distress.
Elohim humbled the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali in earlier times.
But in the future he will bring glory to the road by the sea,
to the land across the Jordan River,
to Galilee, where foreigners live.
A Child Will Be Born as the Prince of Peace
2 The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light.
The light will shine on those who live in the land of death’s shadow.
3 You will expand the nation and increase its happiness.
It will be happy in your presence
like those who celebrate the harvest
or rejoice when dividing loot.
4 You will break the yoke[b] that burdens them,
the bar that is across their shoulders,
and the stick used by their oppressor,
as you did in the battle against Midian.
5 Every warrior’s boot marching to the sound of battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel in the fire.
6 A child will be born for us.
A son will be given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
He will be named:
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Sar Shalom.
7 His government and peace will have unlimited growth.
He will establish David’s throne and kingdom.
He will uphold it with justice and righteousness now and forever.
Yahweh Tsebaoth is determined to do this!
The Lord’s Message against His People
8 Adonay sent a message against Jacob.
The message is against Israel.
9 All the people of Ephraim
and the people who live in Samaria will know it.
With arrogant and conceited hearts they will say,
10 “Bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with hand-cut stones.
Fig trees have been cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Yahweh will set Rezin’s oppressors against Israel
and will stir up its enemies—
12 the Arameans from the east and the Philistines from the west.
They will devour Israel with open mouths.
Even after all this, his anger will not disappear,
and he is still ready to use his power.
13 But the people have not returned to the one who struck them,
nor have they sought Yahweh Tsebaoth.
14 So in one day Yahweh will cut off from Israel
both head and tail,
both palm branches and cattails.
15 Respected and honored leaders are the head.
Prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide these people lead them astray.
Those who are guided by them will be destroyed.
17 That is why Adonay isn’t happy with their young men,
nor will he show compassion for their orphans and widows.
Every one of them is a godless evildoer,
and every mouth speaks foolishness.
Even after all this, his anger will not disappear,
and he is still ready to use his power.
18 Surely wickedness burns like fire.
It burns up briars and thorns.
It sets the underbrush in the forest on fire,
and it whirls upward in clouds of smoke.
19 The land is scorched by the fury of Yahweh Tsebaoth,
and the people are like fuel for the fire.
No one shows concern for others:
20 On the right, one gobbles up food and is still hungry.
On the left, another eats and is never full.
Each person eats the flesh from his own arm.
21 Manasseh is against Ephraim.
Ephraim is against Manasseh.
Together they attack Judah.
Even after all this, his anger will not disappear,
and he is still ready to use his power.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 Isaiah 9:1–21 in English Bibles is Isaiah 8:23–9:20 in the Hebrew Bible.
- Isaiah 9:4 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.
Isaiah 9
New Century Version
A New Day Is Coming
9 But suddenly there will be no more gloom for the land that suffered. In the past God made the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali hang their heads in shame, but in the future those lands will be made great. They will stretch from the road along the Mediterranean Sea to the land beyond the Jordan River and north to Galilee, the land of people who are not Israelites.
2 Before those people lived in darkness,
but now they have seen a great light.
They lived in a dark land,
but a light has shined on them.
3 God, you have caused the nation to grow
and made the people happy.
And they have shown their happiness to you,
like the joy during harvest time,
like the joy of people
taking what they have won in war.
4 Like the time you defeated Midian,
you have taken away their heavy load
and the heavy pole from their backs
and the rod the enemy used to punish them.
5 Every boot that marched in battle
and every uniform stained with blood
has been thrown into the fire.
6 A child has been born to us;
God has given a son to us.
He will be responsible for leading the people.
His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God,
Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.
7 Power and peace will be in his kingdom
and will continue to grow forever.
He will rule as king on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom.
He will make it strong
by ruling with justice and goodness
from now on and forever.
The Lord All-Powerful will do this
because of his strong love for his people.
God Will Punish Israel
8 The Lord sent a message against the people of Jacob;
it says that God will judge Israel.
9 Then everyone in Israel, even the leaders in Samaria,
will know that God has sent it.
Those people are proud and brag by saying,
10 “These bricks have fallen,
but we will build again with cut stones.
These small trees have been chopped down,
but we will put great cedars there.”
11 But the Lord has brought the enemies of Rezin against them;
he has stirred up their enemies against them.
12 The Arameans came from the east
and the Philistines from the west,
and they ate up Israel with their armies.
But the Lord was still angry;
his hand was still raised to punish the people.
13 But the people did not return to the one who had struck them;
they did not follow the Lord All-Powerful.
14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,
taking away both the branch and stalk in one day.
15 The elders and important men were the head,
and the prophets who speak lies were the tail.
16 Those who led the people led them in the wrong direction,
and those who followed them were destroyed.
17 So the Lord is not happy with the young people,
nor will he show mercy to the orphans and widows.
All the people are separated from God and are very evil;
they all speak lies.
But the Lord is still angry;
his hand is still raised to strike down the people.
18 Evil is like a small fire.
First, it burns weeds and thorns.
Next, it burns the larger bushes in the forest,
and they all go up in a column of smoke.
19 The Lord All-Powerful is angry,
so the land will be burned.
The people are like fuel for the fire;
no one will try to save his brother or sister.
20 People will grab something on the right,
but they will still be hungry.
They will eat something on the left,
but they will not be filled.
Then they will each turn and eat their own children.
21 The people of Manasseh will fight against the people of Ephraim,
and Ephraim will fight against Manasseh.
Then both of them will turn against Judah.
But the Lord is still angry;
his hand is still raised to strike down the people.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
