< Isaiah 9 >
1 Te cakhaw hlamat kah bangla anih taengah mangdaeng mangtok la Zebulun khohmuen kah, Naphtali khohmuen kah a tap khomu te om mahpawh. Tedae hmailong ah Jordan rhalvang neh namtom Galilee kah tuipuei longpuei te a thangpom ni.
However, those in Judah who have been distressed/worried will not [continue to] suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled [the people in] the land [where the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali [live]. But in the future he will honor [the people who live in] that Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] Sea, where [many] foreigners live.
2 Hmaisuep ah pongpa pilnam loh khosae puei a hmuh coeng. Dueknah hlipkhup kho kah khosa rhoek te vangnah loh a tue coeng.
[Some day, it will be as though] [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. A [great] light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.
3 Namtom te amah taengah na ping sak tih kohoenah neh na puel sak. Te dongah cangah vaengkah a kohoenah bangla, kutbuem a tael uh vaengkah a omngaih uh bangla na mikhmuh ah a kohoe uh.
[Yahweh], you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice; we will become very happy. We will rejoice about what you [have done] like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops, [or] like soldiers rejoice when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.
4 Midian tue vaengkah bangla anih kah hnamkun hnorhih neh a laengpang kah thingpang khaw, anih taengah aka tueihno mancai khaw na rhiyawp sak coeng.
You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] [of those who captured us]; you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders. [It will be as though] you will break the rods of those who oppressed us, like you did when you destroyed [the army of] the Midian people-group.
5 Hinghuennah dongah a nook khokhom boeih neh thii dongah aka bol himbai tah hmai aka ungkhang thut lam ni a poeh eh.
The boots that the enemy soldiers have worn and their clothing which has stains of blood on them will all be burned up; they will only be fuel for a [big] fire.
6 Mamih ham camoe pakhat thang coeng tih mamih taengah capa pakhat m'paek coeng. Anih kah laengpang dongah barhan om tih, a ming te Khobaerhambae, Olrhoep, Pathen hlangrhalh, Dungyan Pa, Rhoepnah Mangpa, la a khue coeng.
Another reason that we will rejoice is that a [special] child will be born for us; [a woman will give birth to] a son, who will be our ruler. And his names will be ‘Wonderful Counselor’, ‘Mighty/Powerful God’, ‘[Our] Everlasting Father’, and ‘Prince/Ruler [who enables us to have] Peace’.
7 David ngolkhoel dongkah barhan rhoengnah neh rhoepnah tah bawt pawh. A ram te thoh sak ham khaw, tiktamnah, duengnah neh ram duel ham khaw Caempuei BOEIPA kah thatlainah loh kumhal duela a saii pawn ni.
His rule, and the peace that he [brings/causes], will never end. He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU], like [his ancestor King] David did. This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.
8 Boeipa loh Jakob taengah ol a tah tih Israel pum dongah cu.
The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that [he will punish] them.
9 Pilnam loh a ming bitni, Ephraim pum neh Samaria kah khosa loh a hoemnah neh a thinko a mamlal la,
And all the people in Samaria and [other places in] Israel know that, [but] they are very proud and arrogant [DOU]. They say, “Our city has been destroyed, but we will [take away the broken bricks from the ruins] [and] replace them with carefully cut stones. Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down [by our enemies], but we will plant cedar trees [in their place].”
10 “Laiboeng te cungku cakhaw lungrhaih neh n'khoeng bitni, thaihae te vung uh cakhaw lamphai thing n'ling uh bitni,” a ti.
11 Tedae BOEIPA loh Rezin rhal te anih taengah a thaphoh pah tih a thunkha neh a khuk thil.
But Yahweh brought the armies of [Assyria], the enemies of King Rezin [of Syria, to fight] against Israel and incited [other] nations [to attack Israel].
12 Khothoeng lamkah Aram, a hnuk lamkah Philisti loh, Israel te a ka ah a bae la a paem ni. Te boeih nen khaw a thintoek te mael pawt tih a kut a thueng pueng.
[The army of] Syria [came] from the east, and [the army of] Philistia [came] from the west, and they destroyed Israel [like a wild animal tears another animal apart and] [MET] devours it. But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them. He was ready to strike them with his fist again.
13 Pilnam he amah aka ngawn taengah khaw mael pawt tih Caempuei BOEIPA khaw toem uh pawh.
[But even though] Yahweh punished his people [like that], they [still] did not return to him [and worship him]. They [still] did not request the Commander of the armies of angels [to assist them].
14 Te dongah BOEIPA loh Israel te a lu neh a mai khaw, rhophoe neh canghlong khaw khohnin pakhat ah ni a rhaih eh.
Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of [those who are like] Israel’s head and [those who are like] its tail; the [ones who are like] the top of the palm tree and the [ones who are like] the bottom.
15 Patong neh maelhmai aka dang te a lu saeh lamtah a honghi neh aka thuinuet tonghma te a mai saeh.
The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.
16 Pilnam kah a uem la aka om he khaw kho a hmang tih anih kah a uem rhoek te khaw a yoop uh coeng.
The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.
17 Te dongah a tongpang vaengkah te Boeipa loh a kohoe pah mahpawh. A lailak neh thaehuet boeih dongah a cadah neh a nuhmai rhoek te haidam pah pawh. Hlang boeih kah a ka loh boethae halang boeih a thui coeng dongah he a thintoek te mael voel pawt tih a kut a thueng pueng.
For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men [of Israel], and he does not [even] act mercifully toward the widows and orphans, because they are all ungodly and wicked, and they all say things that are foolish. [But] Yahweh still is angry with them; he is ready to strike them with his fist again.
18 Halangnah he hmai bangla lota khaw a dom tih hling khaw a hlawp. Duup kah khocak khaw a hlup tih hmaikhu kah rhimomnah a laep sak.
When people do wicked things, it is like [SIM] a brushfire [that spreads rapidly]. It burns up [not only] briers and thorns; it starts a big fire in the forests from which clouds of smoke will rise.
19 Caempuei BOEIPA kah a thinpom loh khohmuen te a kolh vetih pilnam he hmaingen la poeh ni. Hlang loh a manuca te lungma ti mahpawh.
[It is as though] the [whole] land is burned [black] because the Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people. They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire, and no one will try to rescue even his [own] brother [from that fire].
20 Bantang ben ah hlap pah cakhaw lamlum pueng vetih, banvoei ben ah caak pah cakhaw hah uh mahpawh. Hlang loh amah kah a ban saa te a cilh ni.
Israeli people will attack their neighbors on the right [to get food from them], but they will still be hungry. They will [kill those who live in houses] on the left and eat their flesh, but their stomachs will still not be full.
21 Manasseh khaw Ephraim, Ephraim khaw Manasseh, a boktlap lah Judah a tlai thil. He boeih nen khaw a thintoek mael pawt tih a kut a thueng pueng.
[People of the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other, and [then] they will both attack the people of Judah. But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them. He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.