Isaiah 9:2–21

²The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;^ac

a light has dawned

on those living in the land of darkness.^ad

³You have enlarged the nation

and increased its joy.^Bae

The people have rejoiced before you

as they rejoice at harvest time

and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.^a

⁴For you have shattered their oppressive yoke^b

and the rod on their shoulders,

the staff of their oppressor,

just as you did on the day of Midian.^c

⁵For every trampling boot of battle

and the bloodied garments of war

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

⁶For a child will be born for us,

a son will be given to us,^d

and the government will be on his shoulders.^e

He will be named

Wonderful Counselor,^f Mighty God,^g

Eternal Father,^h Prince of Peace.ⁱ

⁷The dominion will be vast,

and its prosperity will never end.^j

He will reign on the throne of David

and over his kingdom,

to establish and sustain it

with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.^k

THE HAND RAISED AGAINST ISRAEL

⁸The Lord sent a message against Jacob;

it came against Israel.

⁹All the people—

Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria^l—will know it.

They will say with pride and arrogance,

¹⁰“The bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with cut stones;

the sycamores have been cut down,

but we will replace them with cedars.”

¹¹The Lord has raised up Rezin’s adversaries against him

and stirred up his enemies.

¹²Aram from the east and Philistia from the west

have consumed Israel with open mouths.

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.^m

¹³The people did not turn to him who struck them;

they did not seek the Lord of Armies.

¹⁴So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,ⁿ

palm branch and reed in a single day.

¹⁵The head is the elder, the honored one;^o

the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies.^p

¹⁶The leaders of the people mislead them,

and those they mislead are swallowed up.^A

¹⁷Therefore the Lord does not rejoice

over^B Israel’s young men

and has no compassion

on its fatherless and widows,

for everyone is a godless evildoer,^q

and every mouth speaks folly.

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.

¹⁸For wickedness burns like a fire^r

that consumes thorns and briers

and kindles the forest thickets

so that they go up in a column of smoke.

¹⁹The land is scorched

by the wrath of the Lord of Armies,

and the people are like fuel for the fire.^s

No one has compassion on his brother.^t

²⁰They carve meat on the right,

but they are still hungry;^u

they have eaten on the left,

but they are still not satisfied.

Each one eats the flesh of his arm.^v

²¹Manasseh eats Ephraim,

and Ephraim, Manasseh;

together, both are against Judah.^w

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.^x