9 a Nevertheless, there will be no more gloomw for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,x but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darknessy

have seen a great light;z

on those living in the land of deep darknessa

a light has dawned.b

3 You have enlarged the nationc

and increased their joy;d

they rejoice before you

as people rejoice at the harvest,

as warriors rejoice

when dividing the plunder.e

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,f

you have shatteredg

the yokeh that burdens them,

the bar across their shoulders,i

the rod of their oppressor.j

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle

and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning,k

will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,l

to us a son is given,m

and the governmentn will be on his shoulders.o

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,p Mighty God,q

Everlastingr Father,s Prince of Peace.t

7 Of the greatness of his governmentu and peacev

there will be no end.w

He will reignx on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justicey and righteousnessz

from that time on and forever.a

The zealb of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

8 The Lord has sent a messagec against Jacob;

it will fall on Israel.

9 All the people will know it—

Ephraimd and the inhabitants of Samariae—

who say with pride

and arrogancef of heart,

10 “The bricks have fallen down,

but we will rebuild with dressed stone;g

the figh trees have been felled,

but we will replace them with cedars.i”

11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’sj foes against them

and has spurred their enemies on.

12 Arameansk from the east and Philistinesl from the west

have devouredm Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his angern is not turned away,

his hand is still upraised.o

13 But the people have not returnedp to him who struckq them,

nor have they soughtr the Lord Almighty.

14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,

both palm branch and reeds in a single day;t

15 the eldersu and dignitariesv are the head,

the prophetsw who teach liesx are the tail.

16 Those who guidey this people mislead them,

and those who are guided are led astray.z

17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,a

nor will he pityb the fatherless and widows,

for everyone is ungodlyc and wicked,d

every mouth speaks folly.e

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,

his hand is still upraised.f

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;g

it consumes briers and thorns,h

it sets the forest thickets ablaze,i

so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.

19 By the wrathj of the Lord Almighty

the land will be scorchedk

and the people will be fuel for the fire;l

they will not spare one another.m

20 On the right they will devour,

but still be hungry;n

on the left they will eat,o

but not be satisfied.

Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspringb:

21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;p

together they will turn against Judah.q

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,

his hand is still upraised.r