Isaiah 9
1 For there is no gloom to her who had been in anguish, In the former time, he brought into dishonour The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, In the latter time, hath he brought into honour The Lake-way over the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
However, those in Judah who have been distressed/worried will not [continue to] suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled [the people in] the land [where the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali [live]. But in the future he will honor [the people who live in] that Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] Sea, where [many] foreigners live.
2 the people who were walking in darkness, Have seen a great light, —The dwellers in a land death-shadowed, A light, hath shined upon them.
[Some day, it will be as though] [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. A [great] light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.
3 Thou hast increased the exultation Thou hast made great the joy, —They joy before thee, according to the joy of harvest, As men exult when they distribute spoil.
[Yahweh], you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice; we will become very happy. We will rejoice about what you [have done] like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops, [or] like soldiers rejoice when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.
4 For, the yoke of their burden, The cross-bar of their shoulder, The goad of their driver, Hast thou broken, as in the day of Midian.
You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] [of those who captured us]; you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders. [It will be as though] you will break the rods of those who oppressed us, like you did when you destroyed [the army of] the Midian people-group.
5 Surely, every boot of one tramping in tumult, and the war-cloak rolled in blood Then shall serve for burning, food for fire;
The boots that the enemy soldiers have worn and their clothing which has stains of blood on them will all be burned up; they will only be fuel for a [big] fire.
6 For, A Child, hath been born to us, A Son, hath been given to us, And the dominion is upon his shoulder, —And his Name hath been called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty GOD, Father of Futurity, Prince of Prosperity.
Another reason that we will rejoice is that a [special] child will be born for us; [a woman will give birth to] a son, who will be our ruler. And his names will be ‘Wonderful Counselor’, ‘Mighty/Powerful God’, ‘[Our] Everlasting Father’, and ‘Prince/Ruler [who enables us to have] Peace’.
7 Of the increase of dominion, and of prosperity, There shall be no end—Upon the throne of David and Upon his kingdom, By establishing it and By sustaining it, With justice and With righteousness, —From henceforth, Even unto times age-abiding: The jealousy of Yahweh of hosts, will perform this!
His rule, and the peace that he [brings/causes], will never end. He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU], like [his ancestor King] David did. This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.
8 A word, hath My Lord, sent unto Jacob, —And it shall alight on Israel;
The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that [he will punish] them.
9 and the people shall all of them know [it] —Ephraim and the dweller in Samaria—Who in pride and insolence of heart, are saying:
And all the people in Samaria and [other places in] Israel know that, [but] they are very proud and arrogant [DOU]. They say, “Our city has been destroyed, but we will [take away the broken bricks from the ruins] [and] replace them with carefully cut stones. Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down [by our enemies], but we will plant cedar trees [in their place].”
10 Bricks, have fallen down But with hewn stone, will we build, —Sycomores, have been felled, But with cedars, will we replace them.
11 Therefore will Yahweh strengthen the adversaries of Resin against him, —And his enemies will he arouse:
But Yahweh brought the armies of [Assyria], the enemies of King Rezin [of Syria, to fight] against Israel and incited [other] nations [to attack Israel].
12 Syrians before and Philistines behind, Thus have they devoured Israel with open mouth, —For all this, hath his anger, not turned back, But still, is his hand outstretched.
[The army of] Syria [came] from the east, and [the army of] Philistia [came] from the west, and they destroyed Israel [like a wild animal tears another animal apart and] [MET] devours it. But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them. He was ready to strike them with his fist again.
13 Yet, the people, have not turned unto him that smote them, —And Yahweh of hosts, have they not sought.
[But even though] Yahweh punished his people [like that], they [still] did not return to him [and worship him]. They [still] did not request the Commander of the armies of angels [to assist them].
14 Therefore hath Yahweh cut off from Israel—Head and tail Palm-top and rush, In one day.
Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of [those who are like] Israel’s head and [those who are like] its tail; the [ones who are like] the top of the palm tree and the [ones who are like] the bottom.
15 The elder and favourite, he, is the head, —And the prophet teaching falsehood, he, is the tail;
The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.
16 And they who should have led this people forward have been causing them to stray, —And, they who are led of them are destroyed,
The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.
17 For this cause, over their choice young men, will My Lord not rejoice, And on their fatherless and their widows, will he not have compassion, For every one of them, is profane and an evildoer, And, every mouth is speaking baseness, —For all this, hath his anger, not turned back, But still, is his hand outstretched.
For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men [of Israel], and he does not [even] act mercifully toward the widows and orphans, because they are all ungodly and wicked, and they all say things that are foolish. [But] Yahweh still is angry with them; he is ready to strike them with his fist again.
18 For lawlessness, hath consumed like fire, Briars and thorns, doth it devour, —Yea it hath kindled upon the thickets of the forest, And they have rolled up as a column of smoke.
When people do wicked things, it is like [SIM] a brushfire [that spreads rapidly]. It burns up [not only] briers and thorns; it starts a big fire in the forests from which clouds of smoke will rise.
19 Through the wrath of Yahweh of hosts, is the land consumed, —And the people have come to be, as fuel for fire, A man unto his own brother, sheweth not pity;
[It is as though] the [whole] land is burned [black] because the Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people. They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire, and no one will try to rescue even his [own] brother [from that fire].
20 And he hath slain on the right, and yet is hungry, And hath eaten on the left, yet are they not satisfied, —Every one, the flesh of his own arm, will they eat:
Israeli people will attack their neighbors on the right [to get food from them], but they will still be hungry. They will [kill those who live in houses] on the left and eat their flesh, but their stomachs will still not be full.
21 Manasseh—Ephraim, and Ephraim—Manasseh, They together—against Judah, —For all this, hath his anger not turned back, But still, is his hand outstretched.
[People of the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other, and [then] they will both attack the people of Judah. But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them. He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.
