9

Tug vaajntxwv kws yuav lug kaav

¹Yuav tsw muaj kev tsaus ntuj rua tug kws txeev raug kev txom nyem lwj sab dua le lawm. Yaav thau u Vaajtswv ua rua Xenpuloo tebchaws hab Nathali tebchaws raug luas saib tsw taug. Tassws yaav tom qaab nwg yuav ua kuas txujkev ntawm ntug havtxwv kws nyob saab dej Yalatee nub poob tau koob meej, yog Kalilai kws lwm haiv tuabneeg lug nyob.
²Cov tuabneeg kws taug txujkev tsaus ntuj
tub pum qhov kaaj kws luj kawg lawm.
Cov kws nyob huv txujkev tuag tug duab tsaus
txujkev kaaj ci rua puab lawm.
³Koj tub pub lub tebchaws nthuav daav
hab tsaav txujkev xyiv faab rua puab lawm.
Puab zoo sab xyiv faab rua ntawm koj xubndag,
yaam le xyiv faab rua thaus sau qoob loos,
hab yaam le xyiv faab rua thaus
muab tej kws txeeb tau lug sws faib.
⁴Raab quab kws nyaav hab tug laag ntawm xub pwg
hab tug qws kws quab yuam puab,
koj tub muab luv ib yaam le nub
kws ua rua cov Mintee lawm.
⁵Txhua nkawm khau kws tswm aav tseeg moog ua rog,
hab txhua lub tsho kws raus huv cov ntshaav
yuav raug muab ua tawg hlawv
huv cub suavtawg.
⁶Muaj ib tug mivnyuas yug lug rua peb,
muaj ib tug tub pub rua peb.
Yuav muab qhov kws kaav tebchaws
rua sau nwg xubpwg,
hab nwg lub npe yuav hu tas
yog lub chaw sablaaj kws phemfwj kawg,
yog Vaajtswv kws muaj fwjchim luj kawg,
yog leej txwv kws nyob moog ib txhws,
yog vaajntxwv leej tub kws coj kev thaaj yeeb.
⁷Nwg kev tswjfwm yuav daav quas zug tuaj,
hab txujkev thaaj yeeb yuav muaj tsw txawj kawg,
rua sau Tavi lub zwm txwv
hab sau nwg lub tebchaws.
Nwg yuav txav txem ncaaj
hab ua ncaaj nceeg
txhad ua rua lub tebchaws nyob ruaj khov,
hab tuav lub tebchaws txwj nwgnuav moog
ib txhws tsw kawg.
Yawmsaub kws muaj fwjchim luj kawg nkaus
kub sab quas lug yuav ua tej num nuav kuas tav.

Yawmsaub chim rua cov Yixayee

⁸Tug Tswv xaa xuv moog tawm tsaam Yakhauj,
hab yuav moog raug Yixayee.
⁹Tej pejxeem suavdawg yuav paub,
yog Efa‑i hab cov tuabneeg Xamali kws tsaab ua luj
hab lub sab khaav theeb has tas,
¹⁰“Tej thwv cib pob taag lawm,
tassws peb yuav swv tej txhwb zeb kws txhwm lug ua dua tshab.
Tej ntoo txwv cua raug muab ntuv lawm,
tassws peb yuav muab ntoo cab
cog rua huv lub qub chaw.”
¹¹Yawmsaub txhad txhawb Lexi cov tshawj chim tawm tsaam puab,
hab tshaum puab cov yeeb ncuab.
¹²Cov Alaa kws nyob saab nub tuaj
hab cov Filixatee kws nyob saab nub poob
yuav rua ncauj nqog cov Yixayee.
Txawm le ntawd los nwg txujkev chim kuj tsw thim,
hab nwg tseed tsaa nwg txhais teg le qub.

¹³Cov pejxeem kuj tsw tig lug cuag tug kws nplawm puab,
tsw nrhav Yawmsaub kws muaj fwjchim luj kawg nkaus.
¹⁴Yawmsaub txhad le txav Yixayee taubhau hab kwtwv,
hab tej nplooj kum yem hab tej lojkov rua tuab nub.
¹⁵Cov kev txwj quas laug hab cov kws muaj meej yog lub taubhau,
cov cuav xwbfwb cev Vaajtswv lug kws qha tsw tseeb yog kwtwv.
¹⁶Cov thawj kws coj cov tuabneeg nuav
tau coj puab yuam kev,
hab cov kws puab coj kuj raug muab nqog.
¹⁷Vem le hov Yawmsaub txhad tsw zoo sab rua puab cov hluas,
hab tsw taab ncuab cov mivnyuas ntsuag
tsw muaj txwv hab cov puj ntsuag,
tsua qhov txhua tug tsw fwm Vaajtswv hab ua phem
hab txhua lub qhov ncauj has tej lug tsw paub qaabhau.
Txawm le ntawd los nwg txujkev chim kuj tsw thim,
hab nwg tseed tsaa nwg txhais teg le qub.

¹⁸Txujkev phem kub nyab yaam le suavtawg kub,
mas kub hlo tej xuav paug ntsaaj xuav paug ntswm,
zwg tawg rua tej haav zoov ntum,
mas haav zoov kub paa nchu tej nam nthwv rua sau.
¹⁹Lub tebchaws raug muab hlawv
vem yog Yawmsaub kws muaj fwjchim luj kawg txujkev npau tawg.
Cov pejxeem zoo yaam le tej tawg kws muab rauv,
tsw muaj ib tug twg tseg nwg cov kwvtij txujsa le.
²⁰Puab txeeb tau rua saab xws los tseed tshaib,
noj rua saab phem los kuj tsw tsau,
nyag taug nyag noj kwvtij le nqaj.
²¹Manaxe noj Efa‑i, Efa‑i noj Manaxe,
mas ob tug koom tawm tsaam Yuta.
Txawm le ntawd los Yawmsaub txujkev chim kuj tsw thim,
hab nwg tseed tsaa nwg txhais teg le qub.

9

The Darkness Turns to Light

¹Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
²The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
³You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

⁸The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
⁹All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
¹⁰“The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
¹¹But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
¹²Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
have devoured Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

¹³But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
¹⁵the elders and dignitaries are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
¹⁶Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
¹⁷Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks folly.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

¹⁸Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
they will not spare one another.
²⁰On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring⚓ :
²¹Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.