The Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace

91 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish ; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt , but later on He shall make it glorious , by the way of the sea , on the other side of Jordan , Galilee of the Gentiles . 2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light ; Those who live in a dark land , The light will shine on them. 3 You shall multiply the nation , You shall increase their gladness ; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest , As men rejoice when they divide the spoil . 4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders , The rod of their oppressor , as at the battle of Midian . 5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult , And cloak rolled in blood , will be for burning , fuel for the fire . 6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders ; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor , Mighty God , Eternal Father , Prince of Peace . 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace , On the throne of David and over his kingdom , To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore e . The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this .

The LORD's Anger against Israel

8 The Lord sends a message against Jacob , And it falls on Israel . 9 And all the people know it, That is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria , Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart : 10 "The bricks have fallen down , But we will rebuild with smooth stones ; The sycamores have been cut down , But we will replace them with cedars ." 11 Therefore the Lord raises against them adversaries from Rezin And spurs their enemies on, 12 The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west ; And they devour Israel with gaping jaws . In spite of all this , His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out. 13 Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts . 14 So the Lord cuts off head and tail from Israel , Both palm branch and bulrush in a single day . 15 The head is the elder and honorable e man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail . 16 For those who guide this people are leading them astray ; And those who are guided by them are brought to confusion . 17 Therefore e the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men , Nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows ; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer , And every mouth is speaking foolishness . In spite of all this , His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out. 18 For wickedness burns like a fire ; It consumes briars and thorns ; It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame And they roll upward in a column of smoke . 19 By the fury of the Lord of hosts the land is burned up, And the people are like fuel for the fire ; No man spares his brother . 20 They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry , And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied ; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm . 21 Manasseh devours Ephraim , and Ephraim Manasseh , And together they are against Judah . In spite of all this , His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

The LORD's Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

31 For behold , the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support , the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water ; 2 The mighty man and the warrior , The judge and the prophet , The diviner and the elder , 3 The captain of fifty and the honorable e man, The counselor and the expert artisan , And the skillful enchanter . 4 And I will make mere lads their princes , And capricious children will rule over them, 5 And the people will be oppressed , Each one by another , and each one by his neighbor ; The youth will storm against the elder And the inferior against the honorable . 6 When a man lays hold of his brother in his father's house , saying, "You have a cloak , you shall be our ruler , And these ruins will be under your charge ," 7 He will protest on that day , saying , "I will not be your healer , For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak ; You should not appoint me ruler of the people ." 8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen , Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord , To rebel against His glorious presence .

9 The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom ; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. 10 Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions . 11 Woe to the wicked ! It will go badly with him, For what e he deserves e will be done to him. 12 O My people ! Their oppressors are children , And women rule over them. O My people ! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths . 13 The Lord arises to contend , And stands to judge the people . 14 The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people , "It is you who have devoured the vineyard ; The plunder of the poor is in your houses . 15 "What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the face of the poor ?" Declares the Lord GOD of hosts .

Judgment on the Daughters of Zion

16 Moreover, the Lord said , "Because e the daughters of Zion are proud And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes , And go along with mincing steps And tinkle the bangles on their feet , 17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs , And the Lord will make their foreheads bare ." 18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets , headbands , crescent ornaments , 19 dangling earrings , bracelets , veils , 20 headdresses , ankle chains , sashes , perfume e boxes , amulets , 21 finger rings , nose rings , 22 festal robes , outer tunics , cloaks , money purses , 23 hand mirrors , undergarments , turbans and veils . 24 Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction ; Instead of a belt , a rope ; Instead of well-set hair , a plucked-out scalp ; Instead of fine clothes , a donning of sackcloth ; And branding instead of beauty . 25 Your men will fall by the sword And your mighty ones in battle . 26 And her gates will lament and mourn , And deserted she will sit on the ground .