Isaiah 9

For to Us a Child Is Born

1 1 But there will be no g gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he h brought into contempt the land of i Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he j has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2

2 3 i The people k who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of l deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
3 m You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with n joy at the harvest,
as they o are glad p when they divide the spoil.
4 q For the yoke of his burden,
r and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as s on the day of Midian.
5 t For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 u For to us a child is born,
to us v a son is given;
w and the government shall be x upon 4 his shoulder,
and his name shall be called 5
Wonderful y Counselor, z Mighty God,
a Everlasting b Father, Prince of c Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
d there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
e with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
f The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression

8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel;
9 and all the people will know,
g Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 "The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place."
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies.
12 h The Syrians on the east and i the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.
j For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

13 The people k did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel l head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day -
15 m the elder and honored man is the head,
and n the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not o rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is p godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks q folly. 6
j For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burns like r a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land is scorched,
and s the people are like fuel for the fire;
t no one spares another.
20 u They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
v each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they are w against Judah.
x For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:22
    And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
  2. Cross References
    2 Kings 15:29
    In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
    2 Chronicles 16:4
    And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
  3. Cross References
    Matthew 4:15 - 16
    The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles -
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 26:15
    But you have increased the nation, O Lord, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:1
    But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
  6. Cross References
    Luke 1:79
    To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
    Ephesians 5:8
    For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
    Ephesians 5:14
    For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
  7. Cross References
    Job 3:5
    Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 26:15
    But you have increased the nation, O Lord, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 4:7
    You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
    John 4:36
    Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 119:162
    I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.
    1 Samuel 30:16
    And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
  11. Cross References
    Judges 5:30
    'Have they not found and divided the spoil? - A womb or two for every man; spoil of dyed materials for Sisera, spoil of dyed materials embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?'
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:27
    And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.
    Isaiah 14:25
    That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.
    Nahum 1:13
    And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.
    Matthew 11:29
    Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:5
    Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
    Isaiah 10:24
    Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: "O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.
    Isaiah 14:5
    The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers.
  14. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:26
    And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.
    Psalms 83:9
    Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon.
    Judges 7:19 - 25
    So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
    Judges 8:10 - 21
    Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 39:9
    Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years.
  16. Cross References
    Luke 2:11
    For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
    John 3:16
    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 7:14
    Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
  18. Cross References
    Matthew 28:18
    And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
    1 Corinthians 15:25
    For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 22:22
    And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:29
    This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:21
    A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
    Deuteronomy 10:17
    For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
    Nehemiah 9:32
    Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.
    Jeremiah 32:18
    You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
    Psalms 45:3
    Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty!
  22. Cross References
    Psalms 72:17
    May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 63:16
    For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.
    John 14:18
    I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
  24. Cross References
    Psalms 72:7
    In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
    Ephesians 2:14
    For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
    Isaiah 11:6 - 9
    The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
  25. Cross References
    Psalms 89:4
    I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.'" Selah
    Luke 1:32 - 33
    He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.
  26. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:5
    Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 37:32
    For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
    2 Kings 19:31
    For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord will do this.
    Zechariah 1:14
    So the angel who talked with me said to me, 'Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.
  28. Cross References
    Isaiah 7:2
    When the house of David was told, "Syria is in league with Ephraim," the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
    Isaiah 7:5
    Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying.
    Isaiah 7:8 - 9
    For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
    Isaiah 7:17
    The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah - the king of Assyria.
  29. Cross References
    2 Kings 16:6
    At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day.
  30. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 28:18
    And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there.
  31. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:17
    Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
    Isaiah 9:21
    Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
    Isaiah 5:25
    Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
    Isaiah 10:4
    Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
  32. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:5
    Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
    Hosea 7:10
    The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this.
  33. Cross References
    Isaiah 19:15
    And there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.
    Deuteronomy 28:13
    And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them.
  34. Cross References
    Isaiah 3:2 - 3
    The mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder.
  35. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:7
    These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment.
    Micah 3:5
    Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.
  36. Cross References
    Psalms 147:10 - 11
    His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man.
  37. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:6
    Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
  38. Cross References
    Genesis 34:7
    The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing must not be done.
  39. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:12
    The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
  40. Cross References
    Psalms 83:14
    As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze.
    James 3:5
    So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
  41. Cross References
    Isaiah 24:6
    Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.
  42. Cross References
    Micah 7:2
    The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.
  43. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:21
    They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.
  44. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:26
    I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
    Deuteronomy 28:53 - 57
    And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you.
  45. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:13
    The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
    2 Chronicles 28:6 - 9
    For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.
  46. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:12
    The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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