161 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
161 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
Hope in the Messiah
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# Chapter 9
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1. Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
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2. The people who walk in darkness
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will see a great light.
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For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
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a light will shine.
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3. You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
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and its people will rejoice.
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They will rejoice before you
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as people rejoice at the harvest
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and like warriors dividing the plunder.
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4. For you will break the yoke of their slavery
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and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
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You will break the oppressor's rod,
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just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
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5. The boots of the warrior
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and the uniforms bloodstained by war
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will all be burned.
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They will be fuel for the fire.
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6. For a child is born to us,
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a son is given to us.
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The government will rest on his shoulders.
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And he will be called:
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Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
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Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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7. His government and its peace
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will never end.
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He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
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for all eternity.
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The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies
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will make this happen!The LORD's Anger against Israel
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8. The Lord has spoken out against Jacob;
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his judgment has fallen upon Israel.
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9. And the people of Israel and Samaria,
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who spoke with such pride and arrogance,
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will soon know it.
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10. They said, "We will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone,
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and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars."
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11. But the LORD will bring Rezin's enemies against Israel
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and stir up all their foes.
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12. The Syrians from the east and the Philistines from the west
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will bare their fangs and devour Israel.
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But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied.
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His fist is still poised to strike.
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13. For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent.
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They will not seek the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
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14. Therefore, in a single day the LORD will destroy both the head and the tail,
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the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.
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15. The leaders of Israel are the head,
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and the lying prophets are the tail.
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16. For the leaders of the people have misled them.
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They have led them down the path of destruction.
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17. That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men
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and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans.
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For they are all wicked hypocrites,
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and they all speak foolishness.
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But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied.
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His fist is still poised to strike.
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18. This wickedness is like a brushfire.
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It burns not only briers and thorns
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but also sets the forests ablaze.
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Its burning sends up clouds of smoke.
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19. The land will be blackened
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by the fury of the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
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The people will be fuel for the fire,
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and no one will spare even his own brother.
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20. They will attack their neighbor on the right
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but will still be hungry.
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They will devour their neighbor on the left
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but will not be satisfied.
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In the end they will even eat their own children.
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21. Manasseh will feed on Ephraim,
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Ephraim will feed on Manasseh,
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and both will devour Judah.
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But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied.
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His fist is still poised to strike.
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