Birth of the Prince of Peace

1Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.a But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.

2The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;a

a light has dawned

on those living in the land of darkness.b

3You have enlarged the nation

and increased its joy.a a

The people have rejoiced before you

as they rejoice at harvest time

and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.b

4For you have shattered their oppressive yokea

and the rod on their shoulders,

the staff of their oppressor,

just as you did on the day of Midian.b

5For every trampling boot of battle

and the bloodied garments of war

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6For a child will be born for us,

a son will be given to us,a

and the government will be on his shoulders.b

He will be named

Wonderful Counselor,c Mighty God,d

Eternal Father,e Prince of Peace.f

7The dominion will be vast,

and its prosperity will never end.a

He will reign on the throne of David

and over his kingdom,

to establish and sustain it

with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.b

The Hand Raised against Israel

8The Lord sent a message against Jacob;

it came against Israel.

9All the people —

Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samariaa — will know it.

They will say with pride and arrogance,

10“The bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with cut stones;

the sycamores have been cut down,

but we will replace them with cedars.”

11The Lord has raised up Rezin’s adversaries against him

and stirred up his enemies.

12Aram from the east and Philistia from the west

have consumed Israel with open mouths.

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.a

13The people did not turn to him who struck them;

they did not seek the Lord of Armies.

14So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,a

palm branch and reed in a single day.

15The head is the elder, the honored one;a

the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies.b

16The leaders of the people mislead them,

and those they mislead are swallowed up.A

17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice

overA Israel’s young men

and has no compassion

on its fatherless and widows,

for everyone is a godless evildoer,a

and every mouth speaks folly.

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.

18For wickedness burns like a firea

that consumes thorns and briers

and kindles the forest thickets

so that they go up in a column of smoke.

19The land is scorched

by the wrath of the Lord of Armies,

and the people are like fuel for the fire.a

No one has compassion on his brother.b

20They carve meat on the right,

but they are still hungry;a

they have eaten on the left,

but they are still not satisfied.

Each one eats the flesh of his arm.b

21Manasseh eats Ephraim,

and Ephraim, Manasseh;

together, both are against Judah.a

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.b