Isaiah 9

1 For [there will be] no gloom on her who [is] distressed as at the former time. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, So the latter has honored the way of the sea, Beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

But the darkness shall not remain where now is distress; Of old he brought the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali into contempt; In future times shall he bring the land of the sea beyond Jordan, the circle of the gentiles, into honor.

2 The people who are walking in darkness Have seen a great light, Dwellers in a land of death-shade, Light has shone on them.

The people that walk in darkness behold a great light; They who dwell in the land of death-like shade, Upon them a light shineth.

3 You have multiplied the nation, You have made its joy great, They have rejoiced before You as the joy in harvest, As [men] rejoice in their apportioning spoil.

Thou enlargest the nation; Thou increasest their joy; They rejoice before thee with the joy of harvest, With the joy of those who divide the spoil.

4 Because the yoke of its burden, And the staff of its shoulder, the rod of its exactor, You have broken as [in] the day of Midian.

For thou breakest their heavy yoke, And the rod that smote their backs, And the scourge of the taskmaster, As in the day of Midian.

5 For every battle of a warrior [is] with rushing, and raiment rolled in blood, And it has been for burning—fuel of fire.

For every greave of the warrior in battle, And the war-garment rolled in blood, Shall be burned; yea, it shall be food for the fire.

6 For a Child has been born to us, A Son has been given to us, And the dominion is on His shoulder, And He calls His Name Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.

For to us a child is born, To us a son is given, And the government shall be upon his shoulder, And he shall be called Wonderful, counsellor, mighty potentate, Everlasting father, prince of peace;

7 Of the increase of [His] dominion, And of peace, there is no end, On the throne of David, and on His kingdom, To establish it, and to support it, In judgment and in righteousness, From now on, even for all time, The zeal of YHWH of Hosts does this.

His dominion shall be great, And peace without end shall be upon the throne of David and his kingdom, To fix and establish it Through justice and equity, Henceforth and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will do this.

8 The Lord has sent a word into Jacob, And it has fallen in Israel.

The Lord sendeth a word against Jacob; It cometh down to Israel.

9 And the people have known—all of it, Ephraim, and the inhabitant of Samaria, In pride and in greatness of heart, saying,

His whole people shall feel it, Ephraim, and the inhabitants of Samaria, Who say in pride and arrogance of heart,

10 “Bricks have fallen, and we build hewn work, Sycamores have been cut down, and we renew cedars.”

“The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.”

11 And YHWH sets the adversaries of Rezin on high above him, And he joins his enemies together,

Jehovah will raise up the enemies of Rezin against them, And will arm their adversaries;

12 Aram from before, and Philistia from behind, And they devour Israel with the whole mouth. With all this His anger has not turned back, And His hand is still stretched out.

The Syrians before, the Philistines behind, Who shall devour Israel with wide jaws. For all this his anger is not turned away, But his hand is stretched out still.

13 And the people has not turned back to Him who is striking it, And they have not sought YHWH of Hosts.

The people turn not to him that smiteth them; Neither do they seek Jehovah of hosts.

14 And YHWH cuts off head and tail from Israel, Branch and reed—the same day.

Therefore shall Jehovah cut off from Israel the head and the tail, The palm-branch and the rush, in one day.

15 Elderly and accepted of faces—he [is] the head, And prophet teaching falsehood—he [is] the tail.

[[The aged and the honorable are the head, And the prophet that speaketh falsehood is the tail.]]

16 And the eulogists of this people are causing to err, And its eulogized ones are consumed.

For the leaders of this people lead them astray, And they that are led by them go to destruction.

17 Therefore, the Lord does not rejoice over its young men, And He does not pity its orphans and its widows, For everyone [is] profane, and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking folly. With all this His anger has not turned back, And His hand is still stretched out.

Therefore shall the Lord have no joy in their young men, And on their orphans and widows he shall have no compassion; For they are all profane, and evil-doers; Every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, But his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness has burned as a fire, It devours brier and thorn, And it kindles in thickets of the forest, And they lift themselves up, an exaltation of smoke!

For wickedness burneth like a fire, It consumeth the briers and thorns, And it kindleth the thicket of the forest, So that it goeth up in columns of smoke.

19 In the wrath of YHWH of Hosts The land has been consumed, And the people is as fuel of fire; A man has no pity on his brother,

Through the wrath of Jehovah of hosts is the land burned, And the people are food for the fire; No one spareth another.

20 And cuts down on the right, and has been hungry, And he devours on the left, And they have not been satisfied, They each devour the flesh of his own arm.

They consume on the right hand, and yet are hungry; They devour on the left, and are not satisfied; Every one devoureth the flesh of his arm.

21 Manasseh—Ephraim, and Ephraim—Manasseh, Together they [are] against Judah, With all this His anger has not turned back. And His hand is still stretched out!

Manasseh is against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh, And both together against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, But his hand is stretched out still.