2  ^{1 w}The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

3  ^xYou have multiplied the nation;

you have increased its joy;

they rejoice before you

as with joy at the harvest,

as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

4  For the ^yyoke of his burden,

and the staff for his shoulder,

the rod of his oppressor,

you have broken ^zas on the day of Midian.

5  For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult

and every garment rolled in blood

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6  For ^ato us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon² his shoulder,

and his name shall be called³

^bWonderful Counselor, ^cMighty God,

Everlasting ^dFather, Prince of ^ePeace.

7  Of the increase of his government and of peace

^fthere will be no end,

on the ^gthrone of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with ^hjustice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

ⁱThe zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

1  ^bThere shall come forth a shoot from the stump of ^cJesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2  And ^dthe Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3  And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4  but ^ewith righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and ^fwith the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5  Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6  ^gThe wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

7  The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.

9  They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my ^hholy mountain;

for ⁱthe earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.