1. Nevertheless the gloom shall not be such as was in her distress, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more heavily oppress her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined.
3. You have multiplied the nation, and increased the joy: they joy 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 oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5. For every warrior’s boot used in battle, and every garment rolled in blood; this shall be used for burning and 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 called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
8. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it has fallen upon Israel.
9. And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and arrogance of heart,
10. The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them into cedars.
11. Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;
12. The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
13. For the people turn not unto him that strikes them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
14. Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.
15. The elder and honorable, 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 they that are led by them are destroyed.
17. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
18. For wickedness burns as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the rising of smoke.
19. Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land burned, and the people shall be as the fuel for the fire: no man shall spare his brother.
20. And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall devour on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:
21. Manasseh shall devour Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.