Isaiah 9
9
Chapter 9
Good news for God's people
1But the darkness will not continue for ever. Those who had no hope will no longer be afraid. In past times, God let trouble happen to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. #9:1 Zebulun and Naphtali were two of Israel's tribes. But in future years, he will cause the people of that region to be great. Those are the places near the sea, and those beyond the Jordan River, and Galilee region where people from other nations live.
2The people who walk in the dark now see a bright light! Light is shining on those people who live in a land of complete darkness.
3You, Lord, will make your nation stronger. You will cause your people to be very happy. They will be happy because you are with them. They will be like people who are happy at the time of harvest. They will be happy like soldiers who have won a battle, and who share their enemy's valuable things among themselves.
4They are happy because you have removed the power of their cruel enemies. They no longer have to carry a heavy load, as slaves. You have rescued them from their enemies, in the same way that you won against Midian's army. #9:4 See Judges 7—8.
5Fire will destroy every shoe that the soldiers wore to march into the battle. Their clothes which have the blood of war on them will also go into the fire.
6Yes, your people are happy! A child has been born for us. We now have a son with the authority to rule. His names will be:
Wonderful Advisor,
Mighty God,
Father for Ever,
Ruler who brings Peace.
7His authority to rule will be very great. The peace that he brings will never have an end. He will rule as king over David's kingdom. He will make it strong and safe, because he will do what is right and fair. He will rule like that now and for ever. The Lord Almighty will make those things happen, because he loves his people.
The Lord punishes Israel
8The Lord God has spoken a message to warn Jacob's descendants, the kingdom of Israel. 9All the people who live in Ephraim and in the city of Samaria know about it. But they are proud and they boast, 10‘We built houses with bricks and they fell down. But we will build them again with strong stones. People have cut down our fig trees, but we will plant great cedar trees instead.’
11But the Lord caused Rezin's enemies, and other nations to attack Israel. 12Syria's army came from the east. The Philistines' army came from the west. They destroyed Israel's land, like a hungry animal.
But the Lord is still angry. His hand is ready to hit them again. #9:12 Isaiah says this four times. The other places are Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:3
13The people did not turn back to the Lord Almighty, who had punished them. They did not ask for his help. 14So, in one day, the Lord will destroy Israel, both its head and its tail. He will cut down both palm branch and reed. 15The head is their leaders and important people. The tail is the prophets who teach lies.
16The leaders of this nation lead them away from what is true. They confuse the people that they are leading. 17So the Lord God is not pleased with their young men. He will not help their widows or their children who have no family. Nobody respects God and they all do evil things. They only speak about foolish things.
But the Lord is still angry. His hand is ready to hit them again.
18The evil things that the people do destroy everything. They are like a fire that destroys thorn bushes. They burn up all the bushes in the forest. Clouds of smoke rise up from a great fire. 19The Lord Almighty is very angry. He punishes the land of Israel, like a fire that burns everything. The people are like wood that makes the fire burn well. None of them try to help each other. 20People eat whatever food they can get, on their right side or their left side. But they are still hungry. They even eat their own family!
21Manasseh's tribe and Ephraim's tribe fight against each other. Then they join together to attack Judah.
But the Lord is still angry. His hand is ready to hit them again.
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Isaiah 9
9
Birth of the Prince of Peace
1Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.#Mt 4:15 But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.
2The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;#Mt 4:16; Eph 5:8
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness.#Lk 1:79
3You have enlarged the nation
and increased its joy.#9:3 Alt Hb tradition reads have not increased joy#Is 26:15
The people have rejoiced before you
as they rejoice at harvest time
and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.#1Sm 30:16
4For you have shattered their oppressive yoke#Is 10:27; 14:25
and the rod on their shoulders,
the staff of their oppressor,
just as you did on the day of Midian.#Jdg 7:25; Is 10:26
5For every trampling boot of battle
and the bloodied garments of war
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,#Is 7:14; 11:1–2; 53:2; Lk 2:11; Jn 3:16
and the government will be on his shoulders.#Is 22:22; Mt 28:18; 1Co 15:25
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor,#Is 28:29 Mighty God,#Dt 10:17; Neh 9:32; Is 10:21
Eternal Father,#Is 63:16; 64:8 Prince of Peace.#Is 26:3,12; 54:10; 66:12
7The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end.#Ps 89:4; Dn 2:44; Lk 1:32–33
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.#Is 37:32; 59:17
The Hand Raised against Israel
8The Lord sent a message against Jacob;
it came against Israel.
9All the people —
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria#Ac 1:8 — will know it.
They will say with pride and arrogance,
10“The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with cut stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11The Lord has raised up Rezin’s adversaries against him
and stirred up his enemies.
12Aram from the east and Philistia from the west
have consumed Israel with open mouths.
In all this, his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is still raised to strike.#Is 5:25
13The people did not turn to him who struck them;
they did not seek the Lord of Armies.
14So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,#Is 19:15
palm branch and reed in a single day.
15The head is the elder, the honored one;#Is 3:2–3
the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies.#Is 28:15; 59:3–4; Jr 23:14,32; Mt 24:24
16The leaders of the people mislead them,
and those they mislead are swallowed up.#9:16 Or are confused
17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice
over#9:17 DSS read not spare Israel’s young men
and has no compassion
on its fatherless and widows,
for everyone is a godless evildoer,#Is 1:4; 10:6; 14:20; 31:2; 32:6
and every mouth speaks folly.
In all this, his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is still raised to strike.
18For wickedness burns like a fire#Ps 83:14; Is 1:7; Nah 1:10; Mal 4:1
that consumes thorns and briers
and kindles the forest thickets
so that they go up in a column of smoke.
19The land is scorched
by the wrath of the Lord of Armies,
and the people are like fuel for the fire.#Is 1:31; 24:6
No one has compassion on his brother.#Mc 7:2,6
20They carve meat on the right,
but they are still hungry;#Is 8:21–22
they have eaten on the left,
but they are still not satisfied.
Each one eats the flesh of his arm.#Dt 28:53–57; Is 49:26
21Manasseh eats Ephraim,
and Ephraim, Manasseh;
together, both are against Judah.#2Ch 28:6,8; Is 11:13
In all this, his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is still raised to strike.#Is 5:25
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