נֵ֫צֶר = “branch”

“Netsareth” = Nazareth = “Branch-Town”[1]

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him –

            the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

            the spirit of counsel and of might,

            the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord –

            and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

            or decide by what he hears with his ears;

            but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

            with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

            With the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.[2]

He forgave us our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,

            which stood against us and condemned us;

            he has taken it away,

            nailing it to the cross.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities,

            he made a public spectacle of them,

            triumphing over them by the cross.[3]

We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead

will also raise us with Jesus

and present us with you to himself…

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles

are achieving for us an eternal glory

that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.[4]

The wolf will live with the lamb,

            the leopard will lie down with the goat,

            the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

            and the child will feed with the bear,

            their young will lie down together,

            and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

            The young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,

            for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord

            as waters cover the sea.[5]

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples;

            the nations will rally to him,

            and his resting place will be glorious.[6]

[1] Isaiah 11:1

[2] Isaiah 11:1-5

[3] Colossians 2:15

[4] 2 Corinthians 4:14-18

[5] Isaiah 11:6-9

[6] Isaiah 11:10