ISAIAH 9 [†] [1] But there will be no  g gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he  h brought into contempt the land of  i Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he  j has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. [2]

2[†]  [3]  i The people  k who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of  l deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

3[†]  m You have multiplied the nation;

you have increased its joy;

they rejoice before you

as with  n joy at the harvest,

as they  o are glad  p when they divide the spoil.

4[†]  q For the yoke of his burden,

 r and the staff for his shoulder,

the rod of his oppressor,

you have broken as  s on the day of Midian.

5[†]  t For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult

and every garment rolled in blood

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6[^][†]  u For to us a child is born,

to us  v a son is given;

 w and the government shall be  x upon [4] his shoulder,

and his name shall be called [5]

Wonderful  y Counselor,  z Mighty God,

 a Everlasting  b Father, Prince of  c Peace.

7[^][†] Of the increase of his government and of peace

 d there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

 e with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

 f The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

8[†] The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,

and it will fall on Israel;

9 and all the people will know,

 g 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 dressed stones;

the sycamores have been cut down,

but we will put cedars in their place.”

11[†] But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,

and stirs up his enemies.

12[†]  h The Syrians on the east and  i the Philistines on the west

devour Israel with open mouth.

 j For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still.

13[†] The people  k did not turn to him who struck them,

nor inquire of the LORD of hosts.

14[†] So the LORD cut off from Israel  l head and tail,

palm branch and reed in one day—

15  m the elder and honored man is the head,

and  n the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;

16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,

and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.

17[†] Therefore the Lord does not  o rejoice over their young men,

and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;

for everyone is  p godless and an evildoer,

and every mouth speaks  q folly. [6]

 j For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still.

18[†] For wickedness burns like  r a fire;

it consumes briers and thorns;

it kindles the thickets of the forest,

and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts

the land is scorched,

and  s the people are like fuel for the fire;

 t no one spares another.

20  u They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,

and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;

 v each devours the flesh of his own arm,

21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;

together they are  w against Judah.

 x For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still.