But there will be no more agloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He btreated the cland of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 aThe people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in the land of the shadow of death,
The light will shine on them.
3 aYou shall multiply the nation,
You bshall make great their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As cmen rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For aYou shall shatter the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their btaskmaster, as at the battle of cMidian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the rumbling of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a achild will be born to us, a bson will be given to us;
And the cgovernment will rest don His shoulders;
And His name will be called eWonderful Counselor, fMighty God,
Eternal gFather, Prince of hPeace.
7 There will be ano end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the bthrone of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with cjustice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
dThe zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.
Yahweh’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
8 The Lord sends a message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
9 And all the people know it,
That is, aEphraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Saying in lofty pride and in barrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will arebuild with cut stones;
The sycamores have been cut in pieces,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore Yahweh exalts against them adversaries from aRezin
And incites their enemies,
12 The Arameans on the east and the aPhilistines on the west;
And they bdevour Israel with gaping jaws.
cIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn back,
And His hand is still stretched out.
13 Yet the people ado not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they bseek Yahweh of hosts.
14 So Yahweh cuts off ahead and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush bin a single day.
15 The head is athe elder and the highly respected man,
And the prophet who teaches bfalsehood is the tail.
16 aFor those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are brought to confusion.
17 Therefore the Lord ais not glad in their choice men,
bNor does He have compassion on their orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is cgodless and an devildoer,
And every emouth is speaking wicked foolishness.
fIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn back,
And His hand is still stretched out.
18 aFor wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame,
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the afury of Yahweh of hosts the bland is burned up,
And the cpeople are like fuel for the fire;
No dman spares his brother.
20 They slice off what is on the right hand but still are ahungry,
And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the bflesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
aAnd together they are against Judah.
bIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn back,
And His hand is still stretched out.