ישעיהו ט׳Isaiah 9

The people that walked in darkness
Have seen a brilliant light;
On those who dwelt in a land of gloom
Light has dawned.

You have magnified that nation,
Have given it great joy;
They have rejoiced before You
As they rejoice at reaping time,
As they exult
When dividing spoil.

For the yoke that they bore
And the stick on their back—
The rod of their taskmaster—
You have broken as on the day of Midian.

Truly, all the boots put on to stamp with
And all the garments donned in infamy
Have been fed to the flames,
Devoured by fire.

For a child has been born to us,
A son has been given us.
And authority has settled on his shoulders.
He has been named
“The Mighty God is planning grace;
The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler”—

In token of abundant authority
And of peace without limit
Upon David’s throne and kingdom,
That it may be firmly established
In justice and in equity
Now and evermore.
The zeal of GOD of Hosts
Shall bring this to pass.

The Sovereign
Let loose a word against Jacob
And it fell upon Israel.

But all the people noted—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
In arrogance and haughtiness:

“Bricks have fallen—
We’ll rebuild with dressed stone;
Sycamores have been felled—
We’ll grow cedars instead!”

So GOD let the enemies of Rezin
Triumph over it
And stirred up its foes—

Aram from the east
And Philistia from the west—
Who devoured Israel
With greedy mouths.
Yet God’s anger has not turned back,
And the divine arm is outstretched still.

For this people has not turned back
To the One who struck it;
They have not sought
GOD of Hosts.

So GOD will cut off from Israel
Head and tail,
Palm branch and reed,
In a single day.

Elders and magnates—
Such are the heads;
Prophets who give false instruction,
Such are the tails

That people’s leaders have been misleaders,
So those who are led have been confused.

That is why the Sovereign
Will not spare. 1QIsᵃ reads yḥmw. their youths,
Nor show compassion
To their orphans and widows;
For all are ungodly and wicked,
And every mouth speaks impiety.

Already wickedness has blazed forth like a fire
Devouring thorn and thistle.
It has kindled the thickets of the wood,
Which have turned into billowing smoke.
Yet God’s anger has not turned back,
And the divine arm is outstretched still.

By the fury of GOD of Hosts,
The earth was shaken.
Next, the people became like devouring fire:
They did not spare each other.

They snatched on the right, but remained hungry,
And consumed on the left without being sated.
Each devoured the flesh of its own kindred—

Manasseh Ephraim’s, and Ephraim Manasseh’s,
And both of them against Judah!
Yet God’s anger has not turned back,
And the divine arm is outstretched still.