The Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace

91 Nevertheless the darkness shall not be as when the distress was in the [land], at the time he at first lightly, and afterwards heavily, visited the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,—the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: 2 the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them light hath shone. 3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, hast increased its joy: they joy before thee like to the joy in harvest; as [men] rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For thou hast 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 boot of him that is shod for the tumult, and the garment rolled in blood, shall be for burning, fuel for 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 is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

The LORD's Anger against Israel

8 The Lord sent a word unto Jacob, and it lighteth upon Israel. 9 And all the people shall know [it], Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in pride and stoutness of heart, 10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamore trees are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars. 11 And Jehovah will set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and arm his enemies, 12 the Syrians on the east, and the Philistines on the west; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 13 But the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, and they do not seek Jehovah of hosts. 14 And Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day: 15 the ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16 For the guides of this people mislead [them]; and they that are guided by them are swallowed up. 17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice in their young men, neither will he have mercy on their fatherless and on their widows; for every one is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burneth as a fire: it devoureth briars and thorns, and kindleth in the thickets of the forest, and they go rolling up like a pillar of smoke. 19 Through the wrath of Jehovah of hosts is the land burned up, and the people is as fuel for fire: a man spareth not his brother; 20 and he snatcheth on the right hand, and is hungry, and eateth on the left hand; and they are not satisfied. They eat every man the flesh of his own arm: 21 Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh; [and] they together are against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

101 Woe unto them that decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers that prescribe oppression, 2 to turn away the poor from judgment, and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people; that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! 3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the sudden destruction [which] shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help, and where will ye leave your glory? 4 They can but crouch under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

The LORD's Use of Assyria

5 Ah! the Assyrian! the rod of mine anger! and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge; to take the spoil, and to seize the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 But he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; for it is in his heart to extirpate and cut off nations not a few. 8 For he saith, Are not my princes all kings? 9 Is not Calno as Karkemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? 10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols,—and their graven images exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 —shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her images? 12 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stoutness of heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. 13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom, for I am intelligent; and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and, like a valiant man, I have brought down them that sit [on thrones]; 14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples, and as one gathereth forsaken eggs, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped. 15 —Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? As if the rod should wield them that lift it up; as if the staff should lift up [him who is] not wood! 16 Therefore shall the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire: 17 and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day, 18 and it shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a sick man fainteth. 19 And the remainder of the trees of his forest shall be few: yea, a child might write them.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob shall no more again rely upon him that smote them; but they shall rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, [only] a remnant of them shall return: the consumption determined shall overflow in righteousness. 23 For a consumption, and [one] determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, accomplish in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts: O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt: 25 for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and mine anger, in their destruction. 26 And Jehovah of hosts will stir up a scourge against him, according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and his rod [shall be] upon the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 27 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. ... 28 He is come to Aiath, he hath passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage. 29 They are gone through the pass; they make their lodging at Geba: Ramah trembleth, Gibeah of Saul is fled. 30 Lift up thy voice, daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish!—Poor Anathoth! 31 Madmenah is fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim take to flight. 32 Still a day of halting at Nob; he shaketh his hand [against] the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. ... 33 Behold the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, shall lop the boughs with violence; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be brought low; 34 and he shall make clearings in the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles

31 For this reason I Paul, prisoner of the Christ Jesus for you nations, 2 (if indeed ye have heard of the administration of the grace of God which has been given to me towards you, 3 that by revelation the mystery has been made known to me, (according as I have written before briefly, 4 by which, in reading it, ye can understand my intelligence in the mystery of the Christ,) 5 which in other generations has not been made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in [the power of the] Spirit, 6 that [they who are of] the nations should be joint heirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of [his] promise in Christ Jesus by the glad tidings; 7 of which I am become minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me, according to the working of his power. 8 To me, less than the least of all saints, has this grace been given, to announce among the nations the glad tidings of the unsearchable riches of the Christ, 9 and to enlighten all [with the knowledge of] what is the administration of the mystery hidden throughout the ages in God, who has created all things, 10 in order that now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-various wisdom of God, 11 according to [the] purpose of the ages, which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence by the faith of him. 13 Wherefore I beseech [you] not to faint through my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Prayer for Love Which Surpasses Knowledge

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ], 15 of whom every family in [the] heavens and on earth is named, 16 in order that he may give you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 that the Christ may dwell, through faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, 18 in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what [is] the breadth and length and depth and height; 19 and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled [even] to all the fulness of God. 20 But to him that is able to do far exceedingly above all which we ask or think, according to the power which works in us, 21 to him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages. Amen).