The promise of the future king

1However, those in Judah who have been distressed/worried will not continue to suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled the people in the land where the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali live. But in the future he will honor the people who live in that Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, where many foreigners live.

2Some day, it will be as though [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. A great light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.

3Yahweh, you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice; we will become very happy. We will rejoice about what you have done like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops, or like soldiers rejoice when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.

4You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] of those who captured us; you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders. It will be as though you will break the rods of those who oppressed us, like you did when you destroyed the army of the Midian people-group.

5The boots that the enemy soldiers have worn and their clothing which has stains of blood on them will all be burned up; they will only be fuel for a big fire.

6Another reason that we will rejoice is that a special child will be born for us; a woman will give birth to a son,
who will be our ruler. And his names will be ‘Wonderful Counselor’, ‘Mighty/Powerful God’, ‘Our Everlasting Father’, and ‘Prince/Ruler who enables us to have Peace’.

7His rule, and the peace that he brings/causes, will never end.
He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU], like his ancestor King David did. This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.

God will punish Israel

8The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that he will punish them.

9And all the people in Samaria and other places in Israel know that, but they are very proud and arrogant [DOU]. They say, “Our city has been destroyed, but we will take away the broken bricks from the ruins
and replace them with carefully cut stones. Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down by our enemies, but we will plant cedar trees in their place.”

11But Yahweh brought the armies of Assyria, the enemies of King Rezin of Syria, to fight against Israel and incited other nations to attack Israel.

12The army of Syria came from the east, and the army of Philistia came from the west, and they destroyed Israel
like a wild animal tears another animal apart and [MET] devours it. But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them. He was ready to strike them with his fist again.

13But even though Yahweh punished his people like that, they still did not return to him and worship him. They still did not request the Commander of the armies of angels to assist them.

14Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of those who are like Israel’s head and those who are like its tail; the ones who are like the top of the palm tree and the ones who are like the bottom.

15The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.

16The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.

17For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men of Israel, and he does not even act mercifully toward the widows and orphans, because they are all ungodly and wicked, and they all say things that are foolish. But Yahweh still is angry with them; he is ready to strike them with his fist again.

18When people do wicked things, it is like [SIM] a brushfire that spreads rapidly. It burns up not only briers and thorns;
it starts a big fire in the forests from which clouds of smoke will rise.

19It is as though the whole land is burned black because the Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people. They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire, and no one will try to rescue even his own brother from that fire.

20Israeli people will attack their neighbors on the right to get food from them, but they will still be hungry. They will kill those who live in houses on the left and eat their flesh, but their stomachs will still not be full.

21People of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other,
and then they will both attack the people of Judah.
But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them. He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.