הָעָם הַהֹלְכִים בַּחֹשֶׁךְ רָאוּ אוֹר גָּדוֹל יֹשְׁבֵי בְּאֶרֶץ צַלְמָוֶת אוֹר נָגַהּ עֲלֵיהֶם׃   9:1

Isai. 9:1   The people who have been walking in darkness

                 Have seen a great light.

                 The inhabitants in the land of the shadow of death,

                 The light has shone on them.

הִרְבִּיתָ הַגּוֹי (לֹא) [לוֹ] הִגְדַּלְתָּ הַשִּׂמְחָה שָׂמְחוּ לְפָנֶיךָ כְּשִׂמְחַת בַּקָּצִיר כַּאֲשֶׁר יָגִילוּ בְּחַלְּקָם שָׁלָל׃   9:2

Isai. 9:2   You have magnified the nation.

                 You have increased gladness for it.

                 They rejoice before You

                 Like their joy in the harvest,

                 Like those who rejoice in dividing spoil.

The word in parentheses is incorrect, containing an aleph, but should be spelled with a vav.  The correction is in the brackets.

כִּי אֶת־עֹל סֻבֳּלוֹ וְאֵת מַטֵּה שִׁכְמוֹ שֵׁבֶט הַנֹּגֵשׂ בּוֹ הַחִתֹּתָ כְּיוֹם מִדְיָן׃   9:3

Isai. 9:3   For the yoke of his burden

                 And the rod of his back,

                 The staff of the taskmaster with him,

                 You have broken like of the day of Midian,

I believe this verse refers to the Exodus from Egypt.

כִּי כָל־סְאוֹן סֹאֵן בְּרַעַשׁ וְשִׂמְלָה מְגוֹלָלָה בְדָמִים וְהָיְתָה לִשְׂרֵפָה מַאֲכֹלֶת אֵשׁ׃   9:4

Isai. 9:4   When every boot was shod with fierceness,

                  And a cloak was rolling in blood,

                  And it was for burning, fuel of the fire,

כִּי־יֶלֶד יֻלַּד־לָנוּ בֵּן נִתַּן־לָנוּ וַתְּהִי הַמִּשְׂרָה עַל־שִׁכְמוֹ וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵל גִּבּוֹר אֲבִיעַד   9:5 שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם׃

Isai. 9:5   When a child was born to us,

                  A son was given to us,

                  And the government was on his shoulder;

                  And His name was called Wonderful,

                  Counselor, mighty God,

                  Everlasting Father, Prince of peace,

The child in this verse is David, as you shall see in the next verse.  The last three English lines refer to the Lord, Who sent David to us, David, God’s beloved (see next verse).  The names Isaiah mentions in the last three English lines are those of the Lord as portrayed in the Torah.  Once more, this verse does not refer to Jesus.

לְמַ רְבֵּה) [לְמַרְבֵּה] הַמִּשְׂרָה וּלְשָׁלוֹם אֵין־קֵץ עַל־כִּסֵּא דָוִד וְעַל־מַמְלַכְתּוֹ לְהָכִין אֹתָהּ וּלְסַעֲדָהּ   9:6 בְּמִשְׁפָּט וּבִצְדָקָה מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם קִנְאַת יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה־זֹּאת׃

Isai. 9:6   For increasing the government

                 And for peace without end

                 For the throne of David and for his kingdom,

                 To preserve it and to establish it

                 With justice and with righteousness from now and forever.

                 The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall accomplish this.

The left parenthesis follows a word whose first two and last three letters have been separated by a small space.  It should be one word.  The correction is in the brackets.

דָּבָר שָׁלַח אֲדֹנָי בְּיַעֲקֹב וְנָפַל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל׃   9:7

Isai. 9:7   The Master has sent forth a word through Jacob

                  And it has come down with Israel,

וְיָדְעוּ הָעָם כֻּלּוֹ אֶפְרַיִם וְיוֹשֵׁב שֹׁמְרוֹן בְּגַאֲוָה וּבְגֹדֶל לֵבָב לֵאמֹר׃   9:8

Isai. 9:8   That the people shall know all of it,

                  Ephraim that is inhabiting Samaria

                  With pride, arrogance of heart, saying,

לְבֵנִים נָפָלוּ וְגָזִית נִבְנֶה שִׁקְמִים גֻּדָּעוּ וַאֲרָזִים נַחֲלִיף׃   9:9

Isai. 9:9   “The bricks have fallen,

                 But we will set up hewn stone;

                 Sycamores have been cut down,

                 But we will quickly make cedars grow,”

וַיְשַׂגֵּב יְהוָה אֶת־צָרֵי רְצִין עָלָיו וְאֶת־אֹיְבָיו יְסַכְסֵךְ׃   9:10

Isai. 9:10   That the Lord sets up on high

                   The adversaries of Rezin over him,

                    And He will stir up his enemies,

אֲרָם מִקֶּדֶם וּפְלִשְׁתִּים מֵאָחוֹר וַיֹּאכְלוּ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל־פֶּה בְּכָל־זֹאת לֹא־שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ   9:11

 נְטוּיָה׃

Isai. 9:11   Aram on the east, and the Philistines on the west.

                   And they devour Israel with a whole mouth.

                   With all this, His “anger” has not been relieved,

                    And His “hand” stretches forth still.

וְהָעָם לֹא־שָׁב עַד־הַמַּכֵּהוּ וְאֶת־יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת לֹא דָרָשׁוּ׃   9:12

Isai. 9:12   But the people does not return

                    All the way to Him Who smites it,

                    And they do not seek the Lord of hosts.

וַיַּכְרֵת יְהוָה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל רֹאשׁ וְזָנָב כִּפָּה וְאַגְמוֹן יוֹם אֶחָד׃   9:13

Isai. 9:13   So the Lord cuts off the head and the tail from Israel,

                    Palm branch and bulrush, every day.

זָקֵן וּנְשׂוּא־פָנִים הוּא הָרֹאשׁ וְנָבִיא מוֹרֶה־שֶּׁקֶר הוּא הַזָּנָב׃   9:14

Isai. 9:14   The elder and the one favored, this is the head,

                    And the prophet instructing falsely, this is the tail.

וַיִּהְיוּ מְאַשְּׁרֵי הָעָם־הַזֶּה מַתְעִים וּמְאֻשָּׁרָיו מְבֻלָּעִים׃   9:15

Isai. 9:15   As who are the leaders of this people are going astray,

                   So its leaders are being destroyed.

עַל־כֵּן עַל־בַּחוּרָיו לֹא־יִשְׂמַח אֲדֹנָי וְאֶת־יְתֹמָיו וְאֶת־אַלְמְנֹתָיו לֹא יְרַחֵם כִּי כֻלּוֹ חָנֵף וּמֵרַע וְכָל־פֶּה   9:16 דֹּבֵר נְבָלָה בְּכָל־זֹאת לֹא־שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ נְטוּיָה׃

Isai. 9:16   Therefore the Master will not rejoice over its young men,

                    And its orphans and its widows He will not pity,

                    For the whole of it is hypocritical and doing evil,

                    And every mouth is speaking villainy.

                   With all this, His anger has not been relieved,

                    And His hand stretches forth still.

כִּי־בָעֲרָה כָאֵשׁ רִשְׁעָה שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת תֹּאכֵל וַתִּצַּת בְּסִבְכֵי הַיַּעַר וַיִּתְאַבְּכוּ גֵּאוּת עָשָׁן׃   9:17

Isai. 9:17   For wickedness feeds like a fire.

                    It may consume briers and thorns,

                   But it kindles in the thickets of the forest

                   As they coil upward, smoke raging.

בְּעֶבְרַת יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת נֶעְתַּם אָרֶץ וַיְהִי הָעָם כְּמַאֲכֹלֶת אֵשׁ אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו לֹא יַחְמֹלוּ׃   9:18

Isai. 9:18   By the “wrath” of the Lord of hosts

                   The land has been darkened,

                    And the people become as fuel of the fire.

                    One to another, they will not show compassion.

וַיִּגְזֹר עַל־יָמִין וְרָעֵב וַיֹּאכַל עַל־שְׂמֹאול וְלֹא שָׂבֵעוּ אִישׁ בְּשַׂר־זְרֹעוֹ יֹאכֵלוּ׃   9:19

Isai. 9:19   As one snatches on the right side and is hungry,

                    And one eats on the left side but they are not satisfied,

                    The flesh of his arm they will each eat.

מְנַשֶּׁה אֶת־אֶפְרַיִם וְאֶפְרַיִם אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁה יַחְדָּו הֵמָּה עַל־יְהוּדָה בְּכָל־זֹאת לֹא־שָׁב אַפּוֹ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ   9:20 נְטוּיָה׃

Isai. 9:20   Manasseh with Ephraim,

                    And Ephraim with Manasseh,

                    Together they are against Judah.

                    Because of all this His “anger” has not been relieved,

                    And His “hand” stretches forth still.

 

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Isaiah 9