Isaiah 9

1 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.

١ وَلَكِنْ لَنْ يُخَيِّمَ ظَلامٌ عَلَى الَّتِي تُعَانِي مِنَ الضِّيقِ، فَكَمَا أَذَلَّ اللهُ فِي الزَّمَنِ الْغَابِرِ أَرْضَ زَبُولُونَ وَنَفْتَالِي، فَإِنَّهُ فِي الزَّمَنِ الأَخِيرِ يُكْرِمُ طَرِيقَ الْبَحْرِ وَعَبْرَ الأُرْدُنِّ، جَلِيلَ الأُمَمِ.

2 [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.

٢ الشَّعْبُ السَّالِكُ فِي الظُّلْمَةِ أَبْصَرَ نُوراً عَظِيماً، وَالْمُقِيمُونَ فِي أَرْضِ ظِلالِ الْمَوْتِ أَضَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ نُورٌ.

3 [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.

٣ كَثَّرْتَ الأُمَّةَ وَزِدْتَهَا فَرَحاً، ابْتَهَجُوا فِي حَضْرَتِكَ كَمَا يَبْتَهِجُونَ فِي أَوَانِ الْحَصَادِ وَكَمَا يَبْتَهِجُ الَّذِينَ يَتَقَاسَمُونَ الْغَنَائِمَ.

4 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.

٤ لأَنَّكَ قَدْ حَطَّمْتَ، كَمَا فِي يَوْمِ مِدْيَانَ، نِيرَ ثِقْلِهِ وَعَصَا كَتِفِهِ وَقَضِيبَ مُسَخِّرِهِ.

5 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.

٥ إِذْ كُلُّ سِلاحِ الْمُتَسَلِّحِ فِي الْوَغَى، وَكُلُّ رِدَاءٍ مُلَطَّخٍ بِالدِّمَاءِ، يُطْرَحُ وَقُوداً لِلنَّارِ وَيُحْرَقُ.

6 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’.

٦ لأَنَّهُ يُوْلَدُ لَنَا وَلَدٌ وَيُعْطَى لَنَا ابْنٌ يَحْمِلُ الرِّيَاسَةَ عَلَى كَتِفِهِ، وَيُدْعَى اسْمُهُ عَجِيباً، مُشِيراً، إِلَهاً قَدِيراً، أَباً أَبَدِيًّا، رَئِيسَ السَّلامِ.

7 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.

٧ وَلا تَكُونُ نِهَايَةٌ لِنُمُوِّ رِيَاسَتِهِ وَلِلسَّلامِ اللَّذَيْنِ يَسُودَانِ عَرْشَ دَاوُدَ وَمَمْلَكَتَهُ، لِيُثَبِّتَهَا وَيَعْضُدَهَا بِالْحَقِّ وَالْبِرِّ، مِنَ الآنَ وَإِلَى الأَبَدِ. إِنَّ غَيْرَةَ الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ تُتَمِّمُ هَذَا.

8 The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that [he will punish] them.

٨ لَقَدْ أَصْدَرَ الرَّبُّ قَضَاءَهُ عَلَى يَعْقُوبَ فَوَقَعَ فِي إِسْرَائِيلَ،

9 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].”

٩ فَيَعْلَمُ الشَّعْبُ كُلُّهُ: أَفْرَايِمُ وَسُكَّانُ السَّامِرَةِ الْقَائِلُونَ بِزَهْوٍ وَكِبْرِيَاءِ قَلْبٍ:

10

١٠ «قَدْ تَسَاقَطَ اللِّبْنُ وَلَكِنَّنَا سَنَبْنِي بِحِجَارَةٍ مَنْحُوتَةٍ. قَدْ قُطِعَ الْجُمَّيْزُ وَلَكِنَّنَا نَسْتَبْدِلُهُ بِخَشَبِ الأَرْزِ!»

11 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].

١١ ولَكِنَّ الرَّبَّ يُثِيرُ عَلَيْهِمْ خُصُومَهُمْ وَيُثِيرُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَعْدَاءَهُمْ،

12 [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.

١٢ فَيَنْقَضُّ الأَرَامِيُّونَ مِنَ الشَّرْقِ، وَالْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ مِنَ الْغَرْبِ لِيَلْتَهِمُوا إِسْرَائِيلَ بِمِلْءِ الْفَمِ، وَمَعَ كُلِّ هَذَا فَإِنَّ غَضَبَهُ لَمْ يَرْتَدَّ، وَيَدَهُ مَا بَرِحَتْ مَمْدُودَةً لِلْعِقَابِ.

13 [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].

١٣ إِنَّ الشَّعْبَ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ تَائِباً إِلَى مَنْ عَاقَبَهُ، وَلا طَلَبَ الرَّبَّ الْقَدِيرَ.

14 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.

١٤ لِذَلِكَ سَيَقْطَعُ الرَّبُّ مِنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ الرَّأْسَ وَالذَّنَبَ، النَّخْلَةَ وَالْقَصَبَةَ.

15 The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.

١٥ إِنَّ الشَّيْخَ وَالْوَجِيهَ هُوَ الرَّأْسُ، وَالنَّبِيَّ الَّذِي يُلَقِّنُ الْكَذِبَ هُوَ الذَّنَبُ

16 The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.

١٦ فَمُرْشِدُو هَذَا الشَّعْبِ يُضِلُّونَهُ، وَالْمُرْشَدُونَ يُبْتَلَعُونَ.

17 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.

١٧ لِذَلِكَ لَا يُسَرُّ الرَّبُّ بِشُبَّانِهِمْ، وَلا يَتَرَأَّفُ عَلَى أَيْتَامِهِمْ وَأَرَامِلِهِمْ، لأَنَّ جَمِيعَهُمْ مُنَافِقُونَ وَفَاعِلُو شَرٍّ، كُلُّ فَمٍ يَنْطِقُ بِالْحَمَاقَةِ، وَمَعَ كُلِّ هَذَا فَإِنَّ غَضَبَهُ لَمْ يَرْتَدْ، وَمَا بَرِحَتْ يَدُهُ مَمْدُودَةً لِلْعِقَابِ.

18 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.

١٨ لأَنَّ الفُجُورَ يَحْرِقُ كَالنَّارِ فَتَلْتَهِمُ الشَّوْكَ وَالْحَسَكَ بَلْ تُشْعِلُ أَجَمَاتِ الغَابَةِ فَتَتَصَاعَدُ مِنْهَا سُحُبُ الدُّخَانِ.

19 [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].

١٩ إِنَّ الأَرْضَ تَحْتَرِقُ بِغَضَبِ الرَّبِّ الْقَدِيرِ، وَالشَّعْبَ كَوَقُودٍ لِلنَّارِ. لَا يَرْحَمُ وَاحِدٌ أَخَاهُ.

20 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.

٢٠ يَلْتَهِمُونَ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَلَكِنْ يَظَلُّونَ جِيَاعاً، وَيَفْتَرِسُونَ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَلا يَشْبَعُونَ. كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ يَأْكُلُ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ.

21 [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.

٢١ مَنَسَّى ضِدَّ أَفْرَايِمَ، وَأَفْرَايِمُ ضِدَّ مَنَسَّى، وَلَكِنَّهُمَا يَتَّحِدَانِ ضِدَّ يَهُوذَا. مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ لَمْ يَرْتَدَّ غَضَبُهُ، وَمَا بَرِحَتْ يَدُهُ مَمْدُودَةً لِلْعِقَابِ!