| New American Standard Bible | ►► |
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
1[a]But there will be nomore gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will makeit glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the[b]Gentiles.2[c]The people who walk in darknessWill see a great light;Those who live in a dark land,The light will shine on them.3You will multiply the nation,You will[d]increase[e]their joy;They will rejoice in Your presenceAs with the joy[f]of harvest,Aspeople rejoice when they divide the spoils.4For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,The rod of their oppressor, as[g]at the battle of Midian.5For every boot of the marching warrior in the roarof battle,And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.6For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;And the government will[h]rest on His shoulders;And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.7There will be no end to the increase ofHis government or of peaceOn the throne of David and over[i]his kingdom,To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousnessFrom then on and forevermore.The zeal of the LORD of armies will accomplish this.God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
8The Lord sends a[j]message against Jacob,And it falls on Israel.9And all the people knowit,That is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart:10“The bricks have fallen down,But we will rebuild with smooth stones;The sycamores have been cut down,But we will replacethem with cedars.”11Therefore the LORD raises superior adversaries against them from RezinAnd provokes their enemies,12The Arameans from the east and the Philistines from the west;And they devour Israel with[k]gaping jaws.Inspite of all this, His anger does not turn away,And His hand is still stretched out.13Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them,Nor do they seek the LORD of armies.