LEB ISA chapter 9

New Light: The Birth of a King

9 [fn] ⌊But there will be no gloom for those who were in distress⌋.[fn]

In former times he[fn] treated the land of Zebulun and Naphtali with contempt, but in the future he will honor the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
- light has shined on those who lived in a land of darkness.
3 You have made the nation numerous;
- you have not[fn] made the joy great.
They rejoice in your presence as with joy at the harvest,
- as they rejoice when they divide plunder.
4 For you have shattered the yoke of its burden
- and the stick of its shoulder,
- the rod of its oppressor, on[fn] the day of Midian.
5 For every boot that marches and shakes the earth[fn]
- and garment rolled in blood
will[fn] be for burning—fire fuel.
6 For a child has been born for us;
- a son has been given to us.
And the dominion will be on his shoulder,
- and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
  - Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His dominion will grow continually,
- and to peace there will be no end[fn]
on[fn] the throne of David and over[fn] his kingdom,
- to establish it[fn] and sustain it
with justice and righteousness
- now and forever.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

Yahweh’s Anger against Arrogance

8 The Lord has sent out a word against Jacob,
- and it fell on Israel.
9 And all of the people knew it,
- Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria
in pride and arrogance of heart, saying,
10 “ The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stone.
- The sycamore-fig trees were felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 So Yahweh strengthened the adversaries of Rezin[fn] against him,
- and he provoked his enemies—
12 Aram from the east
- and Philistines[fn] from the west—
and they devoured Israel with the whole mouth.
He has not turned away his anger in all of this,
- and his hand is still stretched out.
13 And the people did not turn to the one who struck it,[fn]
- and they did not seek Yahweh of hosts.
14 So Yahweh cut off head and tail from Israel,
- palm branch and reed in one day.
15 Elders[fn] and the respectable[fn] are the head,
- and prophets[fn] who teach lies[fn] are the tail.
16 And the leaders of this people were misleading them,
- and those who were led were confused.
17 Therefore the Lord did not rejoice over its young men,
- and he did not have compassion on its orphans and widows,
for everyone was godless and an evildoer,
- and every mouth was speaking folly.
In all of this his anger did not turn away,
- and still his hand is stretched out.
18 For wickedness burned like fire;
- it consumed brier and thorn.
And it kindled the thickets of the forest,
- and they swirled upward in a column of smoke.
19 The land was burned through the wrath of Yahweh of hosts,
- and the people became like fire fuel.
People had no compassion toward each other .[fn]
20 They devoured on the right but still were hungry
- and devoured on the left but they were not satisfied.
Each one devoured the flesh of his arm,
- 21 Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
  - together they were against Judah.
In all of this his anger has not turned away,
- and still his hand is stretched out.

9:1 Isaiah 9:1–21 in the English Bible is 8:23–9:20 in the Hebrew Bible

9:1 Literally “Indeed there is no gloom for the one to whom there was anxiety for her”

9:1 That is, Yahweh

9:1 The written text (Kethib) is “not,” but the reading tradition (Qere) is “for it”

9:1 Hebrew “like”; the Hebrew letters for “like” and “on” look alike

9:1 Literally “marching with shaking,” which might mean “marching is with shaking”

9:1 Literally “and it will”

9:1 Literally “There is no end to the increase of the dominion and to peace”

9:1 Or “for”

9:1 That is, the kingdom

9:1 Or “his adversaries” if a copyist added “of Rezin” in error

9:1 Hebrew “Philistine”

9:1 That is, the people

9:1 Hebrew “Elder”

9:1 Literally “one lifted up of face”

9:1 Hebrew “prophet”

9:1 Hebrew “lie”

9:1 Literally “A man does not have compassion toward his brother”

LEB ISA Chapter 9