Unto Us a Child is Born
1 Nevertheless there shall be no more gloom for those in distress. In former times, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light.
A light has dawned
on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death.
3 You have multiplied the nation.
You have increased their joy.
They rejoice before you
according to the joy in harvest,
as men rejoice when they divide the plunder.
4 For the yoke of his burden
and the staff of his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as in the day of Midian.
5 For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle
and the garments rolled in blood
will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For unto us a child is born.
Unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders.
His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace,
there shall be no end.
His dominion and its peace will be vast,
upon David’s throne and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from that time on, forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.
Judgment against Israel’s Pride
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
and it falls on Israel.
9 All the people will know,
including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with cut stone.
The sycamore fig trees have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 Therefore the Lord will set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and will stir up his enemies;
12 the Syrians in front,
and the Philistines behind;
and they will devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
Judgment against Israel’s Hypocrisy
13 Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord of Hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel,
head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.
15 The elder and the honorable man is the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.
16 For those who lead this people lead them astray,
and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men,
nor will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows,
for everyone is profane and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
Judgment against Israel’s Unrepentance
18 For wickedness burns like a fire.
It devours the briers and thorns,
yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 The land is burned up
through the wrath of the Lord of Hosts,
and the people are the fuel for the fire.
No one spares his brother.
20 One will devour on the right hand,
and will be hungry,
and he will eat on the left hand,
and they will not be satisfied.
Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim,
and Ephraim, Manasseh,
and they together shall be against Judah.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.