1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. 5 For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. 8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob, and it has fallen upon Israel. 9 All the people will know it—Ephraim and the dwellers of Samaria. With pride and arrogance of heart they will say: 10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” 11 The LORD has raised up the foes of Rezin against him and joined his enemies together. 12 Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have devoured Israel with open mouths. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised. 13 But the people did not return to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts. 14 So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day. 15 The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies. 16 For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up. 17 Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised. 18 For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets, which roll upward in billows of smoke. 19 By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man even spares his brother. 20 They carve out what is on the right, but they are still hungry; they eat what is on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring. 21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Isaiah · Majority Standard Bible
Isaiah 9 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (21)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Matthew 4:15–16; 2 Kings 15:29; Isaiah 8:22; 1 Chronicles 5:26; 2 Chronicles 16:4
- 2 Matthew 4:16; Ephesians 5:8; John 8:12; John 12:46; Luke 1:78–79
- 3 Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 26:15; Isaiah 65:18; Isaiah 66:10; Psalm 119:162
- 4 Jeremiah 30:8; Isaiah 14:25; Isaiah 10:26–27; Nahum 1:13; Isaiah 54:14
- 5 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Ezekiel 39:8–10; Isaiah 30:33; Psalm 46:9; Isaiah 66:15–16
- 6 Luke 2:11; Matthew 28:18; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23
- 7 Luke 1:32–33; Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14; 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 45:4–6
- 8 Isaiah 7:7–8; Zechariah 5:1–4; Isaiah 8:4–8; Micah 1:1–9; Zechariah 1:6
- 9 Isaiah 46:12; Isaiah 10:9–11; Jeremiah 44:28–29; Malachi 4:1; 1 Peter 5:5
- 10 Malachi 1:4; 1 Kings 10:27; 1 Kings 7:9–12
- 11 Isaiah 17:1–5; Isaiah 7:8; Isaiah 10:9–11; Isaiah 8:4–7; 2 Kings 15:29
- 12 2 Chronicles 28:18; Isaiah 5:25; Psalm 79:7; 2 Kings 16:6; Isaiah 10:4
- 13 Jeremiah 5:3; Hosea 7:10; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 1:5; Hosea 7:16
- 14 Revelation 18:8; Isaiah 19:15; Amos 6:11; Isaiah 30:13; Hosea 13:3
- 15 Matthew 24:24; Isaiah 29:10; 2 Timothy 4:2–3; Isaiah 3:2–3; 1 Samuel 9:6
- 16 Isaiah 3:12; Matthew 15:14; Matthew 23:16–36; 1 Kings 8:55–56; 2 Chronicles 30:27
- 17 Jeremiah 18:21; Isaiah 5:25; Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 9:12; Matthew 12:34
- 18 Malachi 4:1; Psalm 83:14; Nahum 1:10; Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 34:8–10
- 19 Micah 7:2; Micah 7:6; 2 Peter 2:4; Isaiah 60:2; Isaiah 24:6
- 20 Isaiah 49:26; Jeremiah 19:9; Isaiah 8:21; Leviticus 26:26–29; Lamentations 4:10
- 21 Isaiah 5:25; 2 Chronicles 28:6–8; Isaiah 9:12; Galatians 5:15; 2 Kings 15:30
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
There are the following predictions: --"Unto us a child is born, and unto us a young man is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders;" which is significant of the power of the cross, for to it, when He was crucified, He applied His shoulders, as shall be more clearly made out in the ensuing discourse.
… the foal of an ass; that He received for drink, vinegar and gall; that He was despised among the people, and humbled Himself even to death and that He is the holy Lord, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Beautiful in appearance, and the Mighty God, coming on the clouds as the Judge of all men; --all these things did the …
The Lord saw him, he concerning whom it was said, "They that sat under the shadow of death, unto them hath light arisen." What then was said to Nathanael?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
… nation by a part of it, nor signifies obscurely all the tribes; mark how the Prophet distinguishes that place, saying "The land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which sat in darkness, saw great light:" by darkness here not meaning that which is sensible, but men's errors and ungodliness.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
The soul when it was deified descended into Hades, in order that, just as the Sun of Righteousness rose for those upon the earth, so likewise He might bring light to those who sit under the earth in darkness and shadow of death: in order that just as He brought the message of peace to those upon the earth, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)