1. Yet there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish, as in the former time. He degraded the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, so afterwards He will glorify the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.
3. You have multiplied the nation. You have not increased the joy. They rejoice before You according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4. For You have broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his taskmaster, as in the day of Midian.
5. For every boot of the warrior is with commotion, and the coat rolled in blood shall be burning fuel for the fire.
6. For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7. There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.
8. The Lord sent a Word to Jacob, and it has fallen on Israel.
9. And all the people shall know, Ephraim and the people of Samaria, who say in pride and hardness of heart,
10. The bricks have fallen down, but we will build with cut stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we use cedars instead.
11. And Jehovah shall set up the foes of Rezin against him, and spur on his enemies;
12. the Syrians in front and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.
13. For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, nor do they seek Jehovah of Hosts.
14. And Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.
15. The elder and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16. For the leaders of this people led them astray; and their guided ones are swallowed up.
17. For this the Lord shall not rejoice over their young men, nor shall He have mercy on their orphans and widows; for everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks foolishness. In all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.
18. For wickedness burns like the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall roll upwards like the lifting up of smoke.
19. Through the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts is the land scorched, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire; no man shall have pity on his brother.
20. And he shall cut off on the right hand and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left, and they shall not be satisfied. Each man shall eat the flesh of his own arm;
21. Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. In all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.