A Great Light for the People
But the darkness will not be as bad as it was before. At first, God let trouble come to the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. Later, he brought much more trouble near the Red Sea, beyond the Jordan River, in the part of Galilee where many nations live.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in a dark land of death now have light shining on them. You have made the nation larger and made them more happy. They are happy before you like people are happy when they pick crops. They are like soldiers who are happy when they share things they won in battle. You have broken the heavy load they carried. You broke the stick that beat their shoulders and the rod that hurt them. Every soldier’s boot and every bloody uniform will be burned up in the fire.
A Child Is Born
A child is born for us. A son is given to us. He will be the leader. His name will be Wonderful, Guide, The Mighty God, The Father Who Lives Forever, The Prince of Peace. His rule and peace will grow forever. He will sit on David’s throne and rule his kingdom. He will make it strong with what is right and fair from now on and forever. The Lord of hosts will make this happen because he cares so much.
Israel’s Pride and Punishment
The Lord sent his word to Jacob. It came down on Israel. All the people will know about it. Even Ephraim and the people who live in Samaria will know. They say with pride and stubborn hearts: “The bricks have fallen down, but we will build with cut stones. The sycamore trees are cut down, but we will plant cedar trees instead.” So the Lord will bring up the enemies of Rezin to fight against him. He will bring all his enemies together. The Syrians will attack from the front. The Philistines will attack from behind. They will eat up Israel with wide open mouths. But even after all this, God is still angry. His hand is still raised to punish them.
The People Do Not Turn Back
The people do not turn back to the one who hit them. They do not look for the Lord of hosts. So the Lord will cut off from Israel both the head and the tail. He will cut off both the branch and the root in one day. The old and important man is the head. The prophet who teaches lies is the tail. The leaders of these people lead them the wrong way. The people who follow them get lost. So the Lord will not be happy with their young men. He will not feel sorry for children without fathers or for widows. Every one of them is a fake and does bad things. Every mouth speaks foolish words. But even after all this, God is still angry. His hand is still raised to punish them.
Wickedness Burns Like Fire
Bad actions burn like fire. They burn up thorns and bushes. They start fires in the thick forests. The smoke rises up into the sky. Because the Lord of hosts is angry, the land grows dark. The people are like wood for the fire. No one will help his brother. People will grab food on the right side but still be hungry. They will eat on the left side but not be full. Each person will eat the flesh of his own arm. Manasseh will fight Ephraim, and Ephraim will fight Manasseh. Together they will both fight against Judah. But even after all this, God is still angry. His hand is still raised to punish them.