Beginning

9 In the first time, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali was alighted, either released; and at the last, the way of the sea beyond Jordan, of Galilee of heathen men, was made heavy. (At first, the lands of Zebulun and of Naphtali were dealt with lightly; but later, the way to the sea from the Jordan River, yea, of Galilee of the heathen, was dealt with heavily.)

² The people that went in darknesses saw a great light; when men dwelled in the country of [the] shadow of death, light rose up to them. (The people who went in darkness saw a great light; where people lived in the country of the shadow of death, the light rose upon them.)

³ Thou multipliedest folk, thou magnifiedest not gladness (Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased their happiness); they shall be glad before thee, as they that be glad in harvest, (and) as overcomers make full out joy, when they have taken a prey, when they part the spoils.

⁴ For thou hast overcome the yoke of his burden, and the rod of his shoulder, and the sceptre of his wrongful asker, as in the day of Midian.

⁵ For why all violent raven (gotten) with noise, and a cloth meddled with blood, shall be into burning, and the meat of fire. (For all the violent raven taken in tumult, and a cloak mixed, or covered, with blood, shall be into burning, and food for the fire.)

⁶ Forsooth a little child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and princehood is made on his shoulder (But a little child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and princehood is placed upon his shoulders); and his name shall be called Wonderful, A counsellor, God, Strong, Father of the world to coming, A prince of peace [and his name shall be called Marvellous, Counsellor, God, Strong, Father of the world to come, Prince of peace].

⁷ His empire shall be multiplied, and none end shall be of his peace; he shall sit on the seat of David, and on the realm of him, that he confirm it, and make (it) strong in doom and rightfulness, from henceforth and till into without end. The fervent love of the Lord of hosts shall make this (happen). (His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end to his peace; he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, so that he can establish it, and make it strong in justice, or in judgement, and righteousness, from henceforth until forever. The fervent love of the Lord of hosts shall make this happen.)

⁸ The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it fell in Israel. (The Lord sent a word against Jacob, and it fell upon Israel.)

⁹ And all the people of Ephraim shall know, and they that dwell in Samaria (and they who live in Samaria), saying in the pride and greatness of heart,

¹⁰ Tilestones fell down (The bricks fell down), but we shall build with square stones; they have cut down (the) sycamores, but we shall (ex)change (them for) cedars.

¹¹ And the Lord shall raise (up) the enemies of Rezin on him, and he shall turn the enemies of him into noise; (And the Lord shall raise up Rezin’s enemies against him, and his enemies shall attack him;)

¹² God shall make Syria to come from the east, and (the) Philistines from the west; and with all the mouth they shall devour Israel. In all these things the strong vengeance of the Lord is not turned away, but yet his hand is stretched forth;

¹³ and the people is not turned again to the Lord smiting it, and they sought not the Lord of hosts. (and still the people did not turn again to the Lord/and still the people did not return to the Lord, who struck them, yea, they did not seek out the Lord of hosts.)

¹⁴ And the Lord shall lose from Israel the head and the tail, [the] crooking and [the] beshrewing, either (the) refraining, in one day. (And the Lord shall destroy in Israel the head and the tail, yea, the crooked and the depraved, all in one day.)

¹⁵ An eld man and honourable, he is the head; and a prophet teaching leasing, he is the tail. (An old and honourable man, he is the head; and a prophet teaching lies, he is the tail.)

¹⁶ And they that bless his people, shall be deceivers, and they that be blessed, shall be cast down. (And they who bless his people, shall be deceivers, and they who be blessed, shall be cast down.)

¹⁷ For this thing the Lord shall not be glad on the young men thereof, and he shall not have mercy on the fatherless children and widows thereof; for each man is an hypocrite and wayward, and each mouth spake folly. In all these things the strong vengeance of him is not turned away, but yet his hand is stretched forth; and the people is not turned again to the Lord smiting it (and still the people did not turn again to the Lord/and still the people did not return to the Lord, who struck them).

¹⁸ For why wickedness is kindled as fire; it shall devour the briars and thorns, and it shall be kindled in the thickness of the forest, and it shall be wrapped (al)together in the pride of smoke. (For wickedness is kindled like a fire; it shall devour the briars and thorns, and it shall be kindled in the thickness of the forest, and it shall be wrapped up in a pall, or in a column, of smoke.)

¹⁹ In the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land shall be troubled, and the people shall be as the meat of fire (and the people shall become food for the fire); a man shall not spare his brother.

²⁰ And he shall bow to the right half, and he shall hunger, and he shall eat at the left half, and he shall not be [ful]filled; each man shall devour the flesh of his arm. (And one person shall turn to the right, and he shall still have hunger, and another shall eat on the left, and he shall not be fulfilled; and everyone shall devour the flesh of their own children.)

²¹ Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim shall devour Manasseh, and they together against Judah. In all these things the strong vengeance of him is not turned away, but yet his hand is stretched forth.

10 Woe to them that make wicked laws, and they writing have written unrightfulness, (Woe to them who make wicked laws, and they writing have written injustice,)

² for to oppress poor men in doom, and to do violence to the cause of meek men of my people; that widows shall be the prey of them, and that they should ravish fatherless children. (and so they oppress the poor in judgement, and do violence to the cause of the humble among my people; and widows shall become their prey, and they shall rob fatherless children.)

³ What shall ye do in the day of visitation, and of wretchedness coming from [a]far? To whose help shall ye flee? and where shall ye leave your glory,

⁴ that ye be not bowed down under bond and fall not down with slain men? (so that ye be not bowed down in slavery, and fall not down with the slain?) On all these things his strong vengeance is not turned away, but yet his hand is stretched forth.

⁵ Woe to Assur, he is the rod and staff of my strong vengeance; mine indignation is in the hand of them. (Woe to the Assyrian, he is the rod and the staff of my strong vengeance; yea, my anger is in his hands.)

⁶ I shall send him to a false folk, and I shall command to him against the people of my strong vengeance; that he take away the spoils, and part prey, and that he set that people into defouling, as the fen of streets. (I shall send him to a godless nation, and I shall command to him against the people for whom I have strong vengeance; yea, that he bring down that people into defiling, to be like the dirt, or the mire, in the streets.)

⁷ Forsooth he shall not deem so, and his heart shall not guess so, but his heart shall be for to all-break, and to the slaying of many folks. (But he shall not stop there, and his heart shall not be content with only them, but his heart, or his plans, shall be to altogether break, and to kill, many nations.)

⁸ For he shall say, Whether my princes be not kings (al)together? (For he shall say, Shall not all my princes, or all my leaders, be kings?)

⁹ Whether not as Carchemish, so Calno; and as Arpad, so Hamath? whether not as Damascus, so Samaria?

¹⁰ As mine hand found the realms of idol(s), so and the simulacra of them of Jerusalem and of Samaria. (As my hands found the kingdoms that be full of idols, so now also the idols of those who be in Jerusalem and Samaria.)

¹¹ Whether not as I did to Samaria, and to the idols thereof, so I shall do to Jerusalem, and to the simulacra thereof? (Whether not as I did to Samaria, and to their idols, so now I shall also do to Jerusalem, and their idols?)

¹² And it shall be, when the Lord hath [ful]filled all his works in the hill of Zion and in Jerusalem, I shall visit on the fruit of the great doing heart of the king of Assur, and on the glory of the highness of his eyes. (And it shall be, when the Lord hath fulfilled all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I shall punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of the great doing of his heart, and for the glory of the highness of his eyes.)

¹³ For he said, I have done in the strength of mine hand, and I have understood in my wisdom; and I have taken away the ends of [the] peoples, and I have robbed the princes of them, and I as a mighty man have drawn down them that sat on high. (For he said, I have done by the strength of my own hand, and I have understood by my own wisdom; and I have done away the borders of the nations, and I have robbed their leaders, and I, a mighty man, have drawn down those who sat on high.)

¹⁴ And mine hand found the strength of peoples as a nest, and as eggs be gathered together that be forsaken, so I gathered together all [the] earth; and none there was that moved a feather, and opened the mouth, and grutched. (And my hand found the wealth of the peoples like a nest, and like eggs that be abandoned be gathered together, so I gathered together all the lands; and there was no one who moved a feather, or opened his mouth, or grumbled.)

¹⁵ Whether an ax shall have glory against him that cutteth with it? either a saw shall be enhanced against him of whom it is drawn? as if a rod is raised against him that raiseth it, and a staff is enhanced, which soothly is a tree. (Shall an ax have more glory than him who cutteth with it? or shall a saw be exalted, or be lifted up, over him by whom it is drawn? like if a rod is raised up against him who raiseth it up, or a staff is exalted, which truly is just a piece of wood.)

¹⁶ For this thing the lordly governor, Lord of hosts, shall send thinness into the fat men of him; and his glory kindled under shall burn as the burning of fire (For this thing the Lordly Governor, the Lord of hosts, shall send thinness into his fat people; and under his strength he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.)

¹⁷ And the light of Israel shall be in fire, and the Holy of it in flame; and the thorn of him and briar shall be kindled and devoured in one day. (And the light of Israel shall be a fire, and its Holy One shall be a flame; and his thorns and briars shall be kindled and devoured in one day.)

¹⁸ And the glory of his forest, and of his Carmel, shall be wasted, from the soul unto [the] flesh; and he shall be fleeing away for dread. (And the glory of his forest, and of his plentiful land, shall be destroyed, from the soul unto the flesh; and he shall flee away out of fear.)

¹⁹ And the remnants of the tree(s) of his forest shall be numbered for (such) fewness, and a child shall write them (so that even a child could count them).

²⁰ And it shall be in that day, the remnant of Israel, and they that fled of the house of Jacob, shall not add for to trust on him that smiteth them; but it shall trust on the holy Lord of Israel, in truth. (And it shall be on that day, that the remnant of Israel, yea, they of the house of Jacob who fled, shall no longer trust him who striketh them; but they shall truly trust the Holy Lord of Israel.)

²¹ The remnants, I say, the remnants of Jacob, shall be converted to the strong Lord. (The remnants, I say, the remnants of Jacob, shall turn again to the strong Lord/shall return to the strong Lord.)

²² For why, Israel, if thy people is as the gravel of the sea, the remnants shall be turned (again) thereof; an ending made short shall make rightfulness to be plenteous. (Because, O Israel, though thy people be as innumerable as the sand of the sea, only a remnant shall turn again to him/shall return to him; and so a shortened ending shall make justice to be plentiful.)

²³ For why the Lord God of hosts shall make an ending and abridging, in the midst of all earth. (For the Lord God of hosts shall make an ending and a shortening, that is, destruction, over all the earth.)

²⁴ For this thing the Lord God of hosts saith these things, My people, the dweller of Zion, do not thou dread of Assur, for he shall smite thee in a rod, and he shall raise [up] his staff on thee in the way of Egypt. (For this reason the Lord God of hosts saith these things, My people, the inhabitants of Zion, do not thou fear the Assyrians, though they shall strike thee with their rod, and they shall raise up their staff against thee, like the Egyptians did.)

²⁵ For why yet a little, and a little, and mine indignation and my strong vengeance shall be ended on the great trespass of them.

²⁶ And the Lord of hosts shall raise [up] a scourge on him by the vengeance of Midian in the stone of Oreb, and by his rod on the sea; and he shall raise (up) that rod in the way of Egypt. (And the Lord of hosts shall raise up a scourge upon them like his vengeance upon Midian at the stone of Oreb, and his rod shall be upon the River, like he raised up that rod against Egypt.)

²⁷ And it shall be in that day, his burden shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his yoke from thy neck; and the yoke shall wax [all] rotten from the face of oil. (And it shall be on that day, his burden shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his yoke from thy neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.)

²⁸ He shall come into Aiath, he shall pass into Migron, at Michmash he shall betake his vessels to (safe) keeping.

²⁹ They passed swiftly, Geba is our seat, Ramah was astonied (Ramah was astonished), Gibeah of Saul (hath) fled.

³⁰ Thou daughter of Gallim, wail with thy voice; thou Laish, perceive (it), thou poor Anathoth.

³¹ Madmenah passed; the dwellers of Gebim fled; be ye comforted. (The people of Madmenah flew; the inhabitants of Gebim fled away; be ye strong.)

³² Yet it is (the) day, that men stand in Nob; he shall drive his hand on the hill of the daughter of Zion, on the little hill of Jerusalem. (Yet this is the day, when people shall stand in Nob; and he shall drive his hand against the hill of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.)

³³ Lo! the Lordly Governor, the Lord of hosts, shall break a pottle in dread (shall break the boughs of the trees with frightful lightning), and high men of stature shall be cut down. And proud men shall be made low,

³⁴ and the thick things of the forest shall be destroyed by iron; and the Lebanon with (its) high things shall fall down.

11 And a rod shall go out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall ascend (out) of the root of it.

² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of strength, the spirit of knowing and of piety;

³ and the spirit of the dread of the Lord shall fill him. He shall deem not by the sight of eyes, neither he shall reprove, either convict, by the hearing of ears; (and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him/and the spirit of reverence for the Lord shall fill him. He shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor shall he rebuke, or convict, by the hearing of his ears;)

⁴ but he shall deem in rightfulness poor men, and he shall reprove in equity, for the mild men of [the] earth. And he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the spirit of his lips he shall slay the wicked man. (but he shall judge the poor with justice, and he shall rebuke the meek, or the humble, of the earth with equity, or with fairness. And he shall strike the land with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked with the spirit of his lips.)

⁵ And rightfulness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith shall be the girding of his reins. (And justice shall be the belt about his loins, and faith shall be his girdle.)

⁶ A wolf shall dwell with a lamb, and a leopard shall rest with a kid; a calf, and a lion, and a sheep shall dwell together, and a little child shall drive them. (A wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall rest with a goat kid; a calf, and a lion, and a sheep shall all live together, and a little child shall drive, or shall direct, them.)

⁷ A calf and a bear shall be pastured together; the whelps of them shall rest (together), and a lion as an ox shall eat straw (and a lion shall eat straw like an ox).

⁸ And a young sucking child from the teat shall delight on the hole of a snake, and he that is weaned shall put his hand in the cave of the cockatrice.

⁹ They shall not annoy, and shall not slay, in all mine holy hill; for why the earth is filled with the knowing of the Lord, as [the] waters of the sea covering. (They shall not harm, and shall not kill, on all my holy hill; for the land shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, like the waters fill the sea.)

¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse, that standeth into the sign of peoples; heathen men shall beseech him, and his sepulchre shall be glorious. (On that day there shall be a root of Jesse, that shall stand for a sign to the peoples; the heathen shall beseech him, and his tomb shall be glorious/and his resting place shall be glorious.)

¹¹ And it shall be in that day, the Lord shall add the second time his hand to have in possession the residue of his people that shall be left, of [the] Assyrian, and of Egypt, and of Pathros, and of Ethiopia, and of Elam, and of Shinar, and of Hamath, and of [the] isles of the sea. (And it shall be on that day, that the Lord shall put out his hand the second time, to take back into possession the rest of his people who be left, in Assyria, and in Egypt, and in Pathros, and in Ethiopia, and in Elam, and in Shinar, and in Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.)

¹² And he shall raise (up) a sign to (the) nations, and shall gather together the fleers-away of Israel; and he shall gather together the scattered men of Judah from [the] four coasts of [the] earth (yea, he shall gather together all those of Judah who be scattered unto the four corners of the earth).

¹³ And the envy of Ephraim shall be done away, and the enemies of Judah shall perish; Ephraim shall not have envy to Judah (Ephraim shall not envy Judah), and Judah shall not fight against Ephraim.

¹⁴ And they shall fly into the shoulders of (the) Philistines by the sea, they shall take prey together of the sons of the east; Idumea and Moab shall be (under) the commandment of the hand of them, and the sons of Ammon shall be obedient. (And they shall fly onto the shoulders of the Philistines on the west, and together they shall take prey from the sons of the east; Edom and Moab shall be under the command of their power, and the Ammonites shall obey them.)

¹⁵ And the Lord shall make desolate the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he shall raise his hand on the flood in the strength of his spirit; and he shall smite, either part, it in(to) seven rivers, so that shod men (may) pass by it. (And the Lord shall make desolate the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he shall raise his hand to bring a mighty wind upon the River; and he shall strike, or shall part, it into seven rivers, so that people wearing shoes can cross over it.)

¹⁶ And a way shall be to my residue people that shall be left, of the Assyrians, as it was to Israel, in the day in which it ascended from the land of Egypt. (And there shall be a way out of Assyria for the remnant of my people who shall be left there, as it was for Israel on the day in which they went up from the land of Egypt.)

12 And thou shalt say in that day, Lord, I shall acknowledge to thee, for thou were wroth to me; thy strong vengeance is turned, and thou hast comforted me. (And thou shalt say on that day, Lord, I shall praise thee, for though thou were angry with me, now thy strong vengeance is turned away, and thou hast comforted me.)

² Lo! God is my saviour, I shall do faithfully, and I shall not dread. For why the Lord is my strength and my praising, and he is made to me into health. (Lo! God is my Saviour, I shall do faithfully, and I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength and my praising, and he is my deliverance, or my salvation.)

³ Ye shall draw waters with joy of the wells of the saviour. (Yea, with joy, ye shall draw water from the wells of salvation.)

⁴ And ye shall say in that day, Acknowledge ye to the Lord, and call ye his name into help; make ye known his findings among peoples; have ye mind, that his name is high. (And ye shall say on that day, Praise ye the Lord, and call ye on his name for help/and call ye his name for help; make ye known his deeds among the peoples; remember that his name is the highest of all.)

⁵ Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath done worshipfully (for he hath done honourably/for he hath done magnificently); tell ye this [out] in all [the] earth.

⁶ Thou dwelling of Zion, make full out joy, and praise; for why the Holy of Israel is great in the midst of thee. (O inhabitants of Zion, rejoice, and praise ye; for the great Holy One of Israel is in thy midst.)