Chapter 9

Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace

1 1But there will be no more agloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He btreated the cland of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the 2Gentiles.

2 1aThe people who walk in darkness

Will see a great light;

Those who live in a dark land,

The light will shine on them.

3 aYou shall multiply the nation,

You bshall 1increase 2their gladness;

They will be glad in Your presence

As with the gladness 3of harvest,

As 4cmen rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4 For aYou shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,

The rod of their boppressor, as 1at the battle of cMidian.

5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,

And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

6 For a achild will be born to us, a bson will be given to us;

And the cgovernment will 1rest don His shoulders;

And His name will be called eWonderful Counselor, fMighty God,

Eternal gFather, Prince of hPeace.

7 There will be ano end to the increase of His government or of peace,

On the bthrone of David and over his kingdom,

To establish it and to uphold it with cjustice and righteousness

From then on and forevermore.

dThe zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance

8 The Lord sends a 1message against Jacob,

And it falls on Israel.

9 And all the people know it,

That is, aEphraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,

Asserting in pride and in barrogance of heart:

10 “The bricks have fallen down,

But we will arebuild with smooth stones;

The sycamores have been cut down,

But we will replace them with cedars.”

11 Therefore the Lord raises against them adversaries from aRezin

And spurs their enemies on,

12 The Arameans on the east and the aPhilistines on the west;

And they bdevour Israel with 1gaping jaws.

cIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn away

And His hand is still stretched out.

13 Yet the people ado not turn back to Him who struck them,

Nor do they bseek the Lord of hosts.

14 So the Lord cuts off ahead and tail from Israel,

Both palm branch and bulrush bin a single day.

15 The head is athe elder and honorable man,

And the prophet who teaches bfalsehood is the tail.

16 aFor those who guide this people are leading them astray;

And those who are guided by them are 1brought to confusion.

17 Therefore the Lord does anot take pleasure in their young men,

bNor does He have pity on their 1orphans or their widows;

For every one of them is cgodless and an devildoer,

And every emouth is speaking foolishness.

fIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn away

And His hand is still stretched out.

18 aFor wickedness burns like a fire;

It consumes briars and thorns;

It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame

And they roll upward in a column of smoke.

19 By the afury of the Lord of hosts the bland is burned up,

And the cpeople are like fuel for the fire;

No dman spares his brother.

20 1They slice off what is on the right hand but still are ahungry,

And 2they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;

Each of them eats the bflesh of his own arm.

21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,

aAnd together they are against Judah.

bIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn away

And His hand is still stretched out.