| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. | 1Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future He will bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations. |
| 2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. | 2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. |
| 3Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. | 3You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before You as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. |
| 4For 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. | 4For You have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as You did on the day of Midian. |
| 5For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. | 5For the trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. |
| 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. | 6For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. |
| 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. | 7The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. |
| 8The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. | 8The Lord sent a message against Jacob; it came against Israel. |
| 9And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, | 9All the people-- Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria--will know it. They will say with pride and arrogance:" |
| 10The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. | 10The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with cut stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars." |
| 11Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; | 11The LORD has raised up Rezin's adversaries against him and stirred up his enemies. |
| 12The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | 12Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have consumed Israel with open mouths. In all this, His anger is not removed, and His hand is still raised to strike. |
| 13For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. | 13The people did not turn to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts. |
| 14Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. | 14So the LORD cut off Israel's head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day. |
| 15The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. | 15The head is the elder, the honored one; the tail is the prophet, the lying teacher. |
| 16For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. | 16The leaders of the people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up. |
| 17Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | 17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over Israel's young men and has no compassion on its fatherless and widows, for everyone is a godless evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. In all this, His anger is not removed, and His hand is still raised to strike. |
| 18For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. | 18For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets so that they go up in a column of smoke. |
| 19Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. | 19The land is scorched by the wrath of the LORD of Hosts, and the people are like fuel for the fire. No one has compassion on his brother. |
| 20And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: | 20They carve meat on the right, but they are still hungry; they have eaten on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one eats the flesh of his own arm. |
| 21Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | 21Manasseh is with Ephraim, and Ephraim with Manasseh; together, both are against Judah. In all this, His anger is not removed, and His hand is still raised to strike. |
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