1 Nevertheless there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time He contemptuously treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darknesshave seen a great light;those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death,upon them the light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nationand increased the joy;they rejoice before Youaccording to the joy of harvestand as men rejoicewhen they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burdenand the bar of his shoulder,the rod of his oppressoras in the day of Midian’s defeat.
5 For all the sandals of the tramping warriorsand all the garments rolled in bloodshall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For unto us a child is born,unto us a son is given,and the government shall be upon his shoulder.And his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peacethere shall be no end,upon the throne of Davidand over his kingdom,to order it and to establish itwith justice and with righteousness,from now until forever.The zeal of the Lord of Hostswill perform this.
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,and it falls upon Israel.
9 All the people shall know,even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,who say in the prideand stoutness of heart,
10 “The bricks are fallen down,but we will build with hewn stones;the sycamores are cut down,but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore, the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,and join his enemies together.
12 The Arameans shall be before and the Philistines behind;and they shall devour Israel with open jaws. For all this His anger is not turned away,and His hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who struck them,nor do they seek the Lord of Hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail,branch and bulrush, in one day.
15 The elder and honorable man, he is the head;and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men,nor shall He have mercy on their fatherless and widows;for every one of them is a hypocrite and an evildoer,and every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away,and His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns as a fire;it shall devour the briers and thorns,and shall ignite in the thickets of the forest,and they shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of Hostsis the land burned up,and the people shall be as fuel for the fire;no man shall spare his brother.
20 They shall snatch on the right hand,but still be hungry;and they shall eat on the left hand,and shall not be satisfied;every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh consumes Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh,and they together shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away,and His hand is stretched out still.