Isaiah 9
9
A New Day Is Coming
1But there will be an end to the gloom those people suffered. In the past, people thought the land of Zebulun and Naphtali was not important. But later, that land will be honored—the land along the sea, the land east of the Jordan River, and Galilee where people from other nations live. 2Those people lived in darkness, but they will see a great light. They lived in a place as dark as death, but a great light will shine on them.
3God, you will make the nation grow, and you will make the people happy. They will rejoice in your presence as they do at harvest time. It will be like the joy when people take their share of things they have won in war. 4That will happen because you will lift the heavy yoke off their shoulders and take away their heavy burden. You will take away the rod that the enemy used to punish your people, as you did when you defeated Midian.#9:4 as you … Midian See Judges 7:15-25.
5Every boot that marched in battle and every uniform stained with blood will be destroyed and thrown into the fire. 6This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” 7His power will continue to grow, and there will be peace without end. This will establish him as the king sitting on David’s throne and ruling his kingdom. He will rule with goodness and justice forever and ever. The strong love#9:7 strong love The Hebrew word means strong feelings like love, hate, anger, zeal, or jealousy. that the Lord All-Powerful has for his people will make this happen!
God Will Punish Israel
8The Lord gave a command against Jacob and someone in Israel fell.#9:8 Or “The Lord sent a command to Jacob and it happened to Israel.” 9So all the people in Ephraim, including the ruler in Samaria, learned their lesson.
Those people are very proud and boastful now. They say, 10“Yes, those bricks fell, but we will rebuild with strong stone. Yes, those little trees were chopped down, but we will plant new trees. And they will be large, strong trees.”
11The Lord found people to go up and fight against Rezin. He stirred up Rezin’s enemies. 12As for Israel, the Arameans are in front of him and the Philistines are behind him. And they are both eating away at him. But the Lord is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing Israel.
13The people did not stop sinning. They did not come to the Lord All-Powerful for help. 14So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail. He took away the branch and the stalk in one day. 15(The head means the elders and important leaders. The tail means the prophets who told lies.)
16Their guides are leading them the wrong way, so those who follow them will be destroyed. 17All of them are evil. So the Lord is not happy with the young men, and he will not show mercy to their widows and orphans. That is because they are evil hypocrites. They tell lies.
The Lord has punished them, but he is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing his people.
18That evil was like a small fire that started among the weeds and thorns and then spread to the larger bushes in the forest. Finally, it became a giant fire, and everything went up in smoke.
19The Lord All-Powerful was angry, so the land was burned. The people were fuel for the fire. No one showed any compassion to anyone else. 20People looked to the right and grabbed whatever they could, but they were still hungry. They grabbed whatever was on their left, but still they were not satisfied. So they turned on themselves and began to eat the bodies of their own children. 21Manasseh fought against Ephraim, and Ephraim fought against Manasseh. Then both of them turned on Judah.
But the Lord is not finished punishing his people. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing them.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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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